Butterflies Suck
by MadHope
Summary: Rukia's brother assigns her a bodyguard after a little 'incident', and she pissed. And of course, it's none other than the idiot Ichigo Kurosaki.But is he more than he seems, and it may turn out she needs his help after all.AU lots of cussing and pervy!;
1. Chapter 1

**Hola there! :D Sooooo... I had this posted a while ago ( a longggg time ago, actually... o.O) buttt I took it down for... some reason... e.o buttt I was going through my stuff and decided I want to post it again, maybe with some revisions this time! Soo I hope ya like it! Umm... oh beware! A LOT OF CUSSING! AND PERVERTED PEOPLE :D :D :D hahaha ^^ anyways...ummm... yep. that's about it...**

**Enjoy!  
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><p>Rukia was furious. How could her brother do this to her? She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself! The small girl walked down the halls of her brother's office purposefully, steering off anyone thinking about coming near her with the piercing glare she wore.<p>

She looked a lot like her brother, with dark, silky black hair that flipped up at the bottom near her shoulders and one thick, stubborn piece of hair that refused to stay out of her face. Her skin was pale and smooth, contradicting her dark hair, and was very short. Rukia Kuchiki's eyes, though—her eyes were what really caught people's attention. They were a deep purple- blue, that could be soft at times and cool and demanding at others.

The small girl burst through a door and into her brother's office. Her brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, sat calmly behind his desk with his fingers intertwined on the desk professionally.

"Brother, how could you do this?" she demanded. Under normal circumstances, she would never talk to her brother like this, but at the moment she was really pissed. Byakuya gazed at her icily.

"Rukia, must I ask you more to knock before you come in?" Rukia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"I'm sorry, brother," she said through clenched teeth, "I just wanted to know what I did to make you do this."

"I do not want you getting into any more trouble," Byakuya told her simply, "I will make sure my little sister is safe. That is why I asked Mr. Kurosaki to come here." Rukia turned in surprise to the man to her right, who until now had remained unnoticed. The first thing that caught her attention was his height. He was tall for a man, and way taller than her.

The next thing she saw was his hair; bright orange. His face held a deep scowl, though Rukia had to admit he was very handsome. Kurosaki, as he was called, wore a simple white button-up shirt, but this served well in outlining his chiseled muscles. He wore long black slacks and matching shoes. Rukia's eyes drifted back up to his face and saw his deep amber eyes looking back at her.

"This is Ichigo Kurosaki," Byakuya said, "he will be your new body guard." Rukia suddenly remembered why she was there and felt her temper rise once again.

"But brother, I don't need protection," she protested, "Last week was just a fluke! It won't happen again—"

"No it won't," Byakuya cut in, "because Mr. Kurosaki will be staying with you to make sure nothing of the sort happens. Now please leave, and take Mr. Kurosaki with you. You can show him his living quarters for now on." Rukia huffed, but knew she was defeated. Without another word she pivoted and stormed out of the office, annoyed to hear another set of feet at her heals.

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><p>Ichigo never had been patient. He hated waiting on anything, from being in line at the movies to waiting for someone to bring him his food. Now he stood in Byakuya Kuchiki's office, waiting for his little sister to arrive. Byakuya, Ichigo thought, was a pretty stiff dude; he could tell that the powerful business man wouldn't take no for an answer if it was something he really wanted. Other than the relation to Byakuya, Ichigo knew nothing about his sister, Rukia, other than what he heard from everyone else. From what he gathered, she was about as stiff as Byakuya was, if not meaner. To say the least, Ichigo was not looking forward to working as her body guard.<p>

Suddenly the door to the office burst open, and the girl he assumed to be Rukia Kuchiki appeared. She had Byakuya's same dark hair and pale, porcelain skin, but that was where the similarities ended. The woman looked barely younger than Ichigo, with a pretty heart shaped- face and deep indigo eyes.

Ichigo almost laughed when he noticed how short she was, but the fire in her beautiful eyes kept him from opening his mouth. Once Byakuya introduce him, Rukia turned to him with wide eyes, as if just noticing he was there. As her eyes scanned over him, he took this opportunity to look over her, also.

She wore a brown pencil skirt with black lines in the pattern, accentuating her hips. Her top was a white blouse under a light black jacket, which served in showing off her slim waist and small, perfectly round breasts. Ichigo's eyes reached hers again just as she looked up from gazing at him. Suddenly Byakuya spoke and after a moment Rukia turned away. He could see her getting mad again, and suddenly she turned and stormed out. Ichigo sent Byakuya a nod before following closely behind.

Rukia reached the parking lot before Ichigo finally spoke.

"Where are we going?" Rukia didn't bother to look at him as she unlocked her car and slid in.

"My apartment," she replied shortly as he sat in the passenger seat and shut the door. Rukia pulled out of the parking lot and started down the road. It was silent for a while before Rukia finally spoke.

"I don't need you, so you might as well go home," she told Ichigo, glancing over at him. He sat back in his seat, his eyes looking out of the window lazily. They turned to her.

"Yeah, right," Ichigo responded sarcastically, "I heard what happened last time from your brother. You nearly got your ass kicked." Rukia's face flushed and she glared at him.

"Hey, I was handling it just fine!" she protested, "I bet I handled it better than you could! I could totally kick your ass for that, so you better watch your mouth from now on." Ichigo glared back at her. Who did she think she was, talking to him like that?

"Look here, princess, I'm doing this for the money, not to babysit," he shot back, "So stop throwing your damn tantrums and shut the hell up already!" Rukia was in disbelief. Who did he think he was, talking to her like that? No one that she had met in her entire life was so insubordinate and rude!

"Hey asshole," she shouted, as she took a sharp turn, the momentum throwing Ichigo into the door, "Newsflash, you work for me now! No matter if I want you or not, you're here, so just shut the hell up and do what I tell you!" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a dog," he growled, "I do what I want when I want to do it, and right now I don't want to fucking die, so slow the fuck down!" Rukia realized how fast she was going and eased her foot off the gas petal. She threw a glare over the Ichigo.

"Watch your damn language." Ichigo bit his tongue at the contradicting order she just through at him and remained silent. It was silent in the car for the rest of the drive until finally they arrived at some apartment complexes.

Rukia got out of the car and immediately started towards her apartment while Ichigo gazed around. The apartments around here were very nice and clean, many of them having large balconies and windows looking into their well- furnished homes. Ichigo snapped back and lightly jogged to catch up to Rukia. For a midget, she could walk pretty fast.

Rukia held down her temper as she climbed the stairs to her apartment. Just perfect. Not only does she get a damn body guard, but this body guard had to be a complete asshole. Rukia unlocked the door to her apartment and enter, leaving the door open behind her for Ichigo. She threw her jacket and purse on the nearby hat stand and made her way over to the island.

Behind her, Ichigo shut the door, his gaze drifting over the apartment. The room he stood in was a small living room with one loveseat and a reclining chair across from a small TV. Next to it was a fairly large kitchen, and beyond that were doors which Ichigo assumed lead to bedrooms and such.

He went over to sit on a stool at the island while Rukia was bent over looking at things in the fridge. Now Ichigo never thought of himself as very perverted. Every time his friend Keigo made a nasty joke or ogled at a woman, Ichigo ignored him or told him to shut up.

Even so, right then Ichigo couldn't help himself but gazing at Rukia's perfectly round ass. Suddenly she stood and started to turn, and Ichigo tore his eyes away to look around the kitchen. Rukia raised an eyebrow at him, but shrugged it off before shutting the fridge and setting something on the counter.

"What's that?" Ichigo asked, sniffing. Rukia opened the styrofoam box to reveal a small steak with a side of mashed potatoes and vegetables.

"Mine," Rukia snapped, starting to cut up the steak. Ichigo glared at her before gazing down at the steak, his mouth watering. He hadn't eaten breakfast that morning and he was starving. Rukia chewed slowly, reveling in the delicious taste, when suddenly a hand whipped out and grabbed small piece of steak on her fork.

Rukia gasped and glared up at Ichigo, who was smirking smugly at her as he chewed her steak. Ichigo could have sworn her glare burned right through him, but he didn't shy away like others might. In fact, he leaned in and matched her.

Rukia's breath caught as he got closer, but refused to lose. She hardened her gaze, and he easily matched it. The silence was heavy when a sudden ringing sound erupted in the air. 'Thank god,' Rukia thought, pulling away to slip her phone out of her pocket. She looked at the collar ID and clicked answer, bringing the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?" she answered, smacking Ichigo's hand away from grabbing more of her food.

_"Hello Rukia! How are you?"_ Rukia forced herself not to groan.

"Alright I guess. How are you, Orihime?"

_"Oh, I'm great! I made this new recipe today, and I really want you to try it, it's so good! It's a desert with butterscotch ice cream, bean paste, jelly beans, guacamole, some noodles, ketchup…"_ Rukia sighed and rubbed her temple with her free hand. She loved her friend to death, but Orihime's constant happiness and her strange recipes were enough to wear anyone out. Orihime paused for a moment.

_"Rukia, are you alright?"_ she asked, sounding concerned, _"I'm not bothering you, am I? I can hang up if you want and can just call later or not call back at all. I—"_

"Orihime, it's fine," Rukia interrupted before the girl started again, "It's not you that's bugging me. My brother hired me a body guard." Over the line Orihime gasped.

_"Oh! That's not so bad, Rukia!"_ she exclaimed, _"Actually, I think it's kind of exciting! Think about it, a handsome body guard there to defend you from harm. After all, after what happened last week I'm sure a lot of people are worried about you, including me. Anyway, a handsome man there to protect you but as time passes you get closer and finally he confesses his love to you, and then you make love under the stars…"_ Rukia shook her head.

"Yeah, I sincerely doubt that's going to happen Orihime," she said, glancing over at Ichigo to see half of her steak gone and her fork halfway to his mouth. Rukia gasped.

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><p><em>"You damn bastard, give that back!"<em> On the other line Orihime could hear clattering and cursing from both Rukia and a new male voice. Suddenly Rukia spoke into the phone.

_"Look, I'm going to have to call you back, Orhime. GIVE IT BACK YOU STRAWBERRY-HEADED ASSHOLE!"_ The line went dead and Orihime blinked a few times before pressing end and setting her phone on the counter.

"Well…. Alright then," she muttered, and drifted away.

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><p>"You asshole, hand it over!" Rukia shouted as she stood on her knees on the counter, trying to wrestle the fork away from Ichigo.<p>

"Get your own!" he protested, extending his arm away from her.

"That IS my own!" Rukia placed a hand on Ichigo's left shoulder and reached with her right hand towards the fork. Ichigo smirked a bit at the fact that this action made it so her chest was level with his face. Suddenly he had an idea that he knew would definitely get him killed, but might let him win this once.

Ichigo gathered his nerves and just as Rukia leaned even closer to reach the fork, he leaned in and ran his tongue along her collarbone up to her neck. Rukia gasped when she felt his warm, wet tongue touch her bare skin and lost her balance. Her knees slipped off the counter and she wrapped her arms around Ichigo's neck to catch herself. They both froze as they notice their new situation; Rukia sat in Ichigo's lap, one leg on either side of his waist. Her panicked indigo eyes met his surprised amber eyes. The entire room seemed to rise ten degrees, and Ichigo found himself slightly panting.

Rukia's head fogged up, and she shook her head to clear it but was unsuccessful. What was he doing to her? Her whole body burned and itched, her breathing slightly labored. A cold wave ran over her body and she shivered before it was again replaced by the burning heat. Ichigo was experiencing something similar. His whole body was steaming hot, and his hands begged for something smooth to touch, to hold. He could barely focus, his brain fuzzy, and when she shivered, unintentionally rubbing closer to him, it was all he could do to keep still. His gaze went from her clouded, confused eyes to her lips, then to her breasts, and to her lips again. They were small and pink, slightly parted from her panicked breath, and they seemed to call to him. Just as Ichigo leaned forward just a little, the dinging of the doorbell reached their ears. Ichigo sat back automatically and Rukia jumped up off of him, rushing to the door.

She fixed herself hurriedly in the mirror beside the coat rack before steeling herself and opening the door. Standing there was her neighbor and friend Tatsuki Arisawa. Tatsuki was a big tomboy with a big temper, one even Rukia would run away from if it got too bad. She had short black hair with a tint of blue, boyish features, and light brown eyes. She wore ripped jeans and a simple blue band t-shirt under a white jacket.

"Hey there, Rukia," she greeted casually. Rukia smiled a bit, and Tatsuki raised an eyebrow as she examined her friend's slightly ruffled state. Her eyes were pretty as usual but had a confused look in them. Rukia's normally perfect black hair had a few strands out of line and her shirt was slightly wrinkled.

"Is this a bad time?" Tatsuki asked with a smirk. Rukia's face flushed and she shook her head.

"No, I was just making some food," she lied, "Come on in." Tatsuki entered and Rukia closed the door behind her. Immediately she noticed Ichigo sitting at the counter, running a hand through his hair. Tatsuki raised an eyebrow and turned to Rukia.

"I thought you said this wasn't a bad time." Rukia rolled her eyes with a scowl as she walked to the opposite side of the island, picking up the deserted Styrofoam box and throwing it in the trash.

"It's not," she replied, "It's just that this idiot was trying to steal my food." Said idiot glared at her.

"It's not my fault," he shot, "I was starving and I knew you weren't going to offer me any, so I took it upon myself to get my own." Rukia glared back at him.

"'Getting your own' is not the same as stealing mine," she snapped.

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"IS NOT!"

"IS TOO!" Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. It was like listening to five year olds bicker. They started to yell and Tatsuki winced before glaring.

"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT THE HELL UP!" Both Rukia and Ichigo turned to her in surprise.

"Sheesh, you two are like toddlers," she growled, rolling her eyes. Before either could protest Tatsuki turned to Ichigo and asked, "Now who the hell are you?" Ichigo looked surprised for a moment.

"Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki," he introduced, holding out a hand. Tatsuki shook it and turned to Rukia for an explanation.

"He's the body guard my brother assigned to me," Rukia said, rolling her eyes. Tatsuki shrugged.

"Well, after last week, who can blame him?" Rukia sighed.

"I guess I understand why he did it, but he could have picked someone less idiotic."

"Hey!" Ichigo protested, "Fine then, maybe next time you get in trouble, I'll just stand by and let them do what they want!"

"Fine, I don't need you anyways!" Rukia shouted back, "I could take them on without your help, and I'll prove that to you and my brother!"

"Fine then, go and try!"

"I will!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" Tatsuki sighed and rubbed her temples. She'd better not have to deal with this everyday, otherwise she'd force the landlord to send them an eviction notice and get their asses kicked out of here. Sure Rukia was her friend, but she needed her sleep. As the two bickered on and on Tatsuki sighed again and left, seriously doubting that either of them would notice for a long time.

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><p><strong>Sooooooooooooooo? Hope ya liked it :) more characters and things will be introduced late ^^ and conflict... why does Rukia need protection? From whom? o.O we may never know... oh wait, I'm the author... so we probably will ^^ but you never know e.o<strong>

**... I should go to sleep now...**

**Night night, byessssssssssssss!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey der ;) I'm kinda busy right now... But ah well, I decided to upload again :) I know this story is going a bit fast, and sorry- but some things might slow down, but I have plans for the future! :D sooooo yeah... umm... Can't really think of anything, other than I hate math -_- Oh and I planned to make this story a tad bit more dramatic than my other ones, but (that's not saying much) and I promise it still won't be overly-puke-my-guts-out dramatic :P ^^ anyhoosers,,,**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>After the fighting calmed down and the two realized Tatsuki had left, they ended up sitting on the couch watching a movie. Well, Rukia sat on the couch. Ichigo had been forced to sit on the ground. He grumbled as the movie began.<p>

"This is dumb," he muttered, "Why can't I just sit in the chair?" Rukia shushed him, popping in a few pieces of popcorn into her mouth.

"That's your punishment for eating my food," she claimed, smacking on the back of the head when she knew he was opening his mouth to respond even though she couldn't see his face, "Now shush, the movie's starting." Ichigo growled under his breath something about evil steak midgets but then became quiet. Rukia had picked a movie, and it was some cartoon with bunnies in it. Ichigo stared at the screen, not believing his eyes, and then turned back to look at Rukia to see if she had accidentally put in the wrong DVD. Apparently not.

The woman leaned forward earnestly, her eyes shining and unblinking as she stared at the TV screen. Ichigo simply stared at her in disbelief, then slowly turned back around and sat there for a moment. Finally he shook his head. What the hell kind of adult woman watches bunny cartoon movies? Apparently psycho midget ones. Ichigo turned back around and waved a hand in front of her face. She snapped out of her bunny fantasy to glare at him.

"What the hell do you want?" she snapped. Ichigo shook his head.

"You don't actually expect me to watch this crap, do you?" Rukia looked offended.

"How dare you!" she snarled, "This is Chappy the Rabbit and his Bunny Adventures! None of this is crap, you self- righteous asshole!" Ichigo blinked.

"Wow. I've never seen someone so defensive about a damn rabbit before." Rukia glared at him and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Shut up!" she shouted, "Chappy the Rabbit is amazing! Of course I'm defending him!" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Okay, whatever you psycho midget Chappy- lover," he replied, earning him another smack on the head, this time with the popcorn bowl, "Can we at least watch something else, maybe not cartoon- bunny related?" Rukia huffed and crossed her arms.

"Fine," she surrendered, "Go over and pick one, but if it's not Chappy I'd better see some guys getting shot at. Got it?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her demand but nodded and crawled over to her DVD collection. His eyes scanned over them and he noticed that they were all either Chappy or action and gory movies. Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Other than the Chappy shit, this girl had good taste. Finally he picked one and went over to the DVD player, swapping the crappy Chappy for the one he chose. Then he went back to sit on the ground, his back resting against the loveseat.

"What did you put in?" Rukia asked.

"Shush," was all Ichigo said. Rukia sighed and waited as the movie began. Suddenly it showed someone randomly falling from the sky with a parachute on his back while he was unconscious.

"Oh, this is the new Predator!" Rukia exclaimed, "I haven't watched this yet!" Ichigo nodded but remained silent. They watched the movie for a while and Ichigo's rear and back were beginning to ache. He elbowed Rukia's leg.

"Oi, midget!"

"Sh!" Ichigo growled and elbowed her again. She responded with a quick kick in the head. Ichigo whipped around so he was on his knees in front of her. Even though the couch was up high, Ichigo still blocked her vision of the TV. Rukia glared.

"Move your ass, strawberry!"

"Let me sit up here and maybe I will," he bargained. Rukia's glare didn't faulter.

"No!"

"Then you might as well turn the movie off now, because I'm not moving!" Rukia groaned and moved to the side, but anywhere she moved, Ichigo moved with her. Finally she shoved at his chest, but it didn't have as much impact as she had hoped. He barely moved, and this gave him and opportunity to grab her wrists and pull her off the couch. Rukia gave a yelp as she landed hard on her rear, and when she recovered she saw Ichigo grinning triumphantly from her spot on the couch. The glare Rukia gave him looked as if she was going to open up a fissure to swallow him up and send him to hell.

Oh hell no.

Rukia lunged and tackled Ichigo, using her feet to kick him off the couch, but unfortunately Ichigo grabbed her ankle and pulled her down with him. Now Ichigo lay flat on his back on the ground with Rukia on top of him. Rukia glared, ignoring their 'suggestive' position.

"Alright, that's it," she growled, "You're sleeping outside!"

"Oi!" Ichigo protested, "It's not my fault! You're the one who started all of this!" Rukia's eyes flashed dangerously as her jaw fell with disbelief.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" she shouted, "How did I start all of this?"

"You're the one who wouldn't just let me sit up there instead of on the floor!" he explained. Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Please! If you hadn't stolen my food in the first place, then I might have let you sit in the chair or something!" It was Ichigo's turn to roll his eyes.

"You're insane! Maybe if you just offered me some in the first place, I wouldn't have had to steal any!"

"You didn't say you wanted any!"

"I didn't think I had to!" Rukia groaned and got up. She turned and started walking away.

"Oi, where are you going?" Ichigo called.

"To bed," she called over her shoulder.

"Well where am I gonna sleep?" Ichigo asked.

"Couch," was all Rukia said in response before she went through a door into which Ichigo assumed was her bedroom and closed in behind her.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head and glared at the tiny loveseat. How was he possibly supposed to fit into that thing? Finally he sighed and turned the TV off, grabbing the blanket from the recliner and attempting to settle himself onto the cramped couch. After about the fifteenth turn, Ichigo sighed. It was going to be a long night.

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><p>Rukia awoke in the morning feeling good until she remembered all that had happened yesterday. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, slipping out of bed and walking out of her room to get breakfast. Making her way towards the kitchen, a glance into the living room made her stop. Rukia shuffled closer and observed the sight before her. Ichigo lay spread out on his side on the recliner, which had been leaned back as far as it could go. Even then his feet still hung off the edge, and the small blanket covered only a section of his legs.<p>

Rukia could tell from the messed up cushions on the couch that he had done a lot of moving and switching around last night, and Rukia felt a twinge of guilt. She turned back to look at Ichigo. His face was calmer when he was sleeping; the lines from his permanent scowl stood out a lot less, and he actually looked peaceful. His bright hair was disheveled and his mouth hung open slightly.

Rukia found that her eyes were drawn to his lips. Her body moved forward against her mind's permission, and she found herself leaning towards him. Suddenly Rukia paused only an inch away. She pulled back and thumped him on the head.

"Hey, strawberry, wake your ass up." Ichigo shifted a bit but remained asleep. Rukia rolled her eyes and leaned forward so that her mouth was right by his ear.

"ICHIGO, WAKE UP!" Ichigo started and Rukia pulled back quickly to avoid getting hit. He ran a hand through his hair and stretched his arms above his head. His shirt lifted and Rukia saw the muscles on his hips stretching downwards. Rukia blushed and turned away until Ichigo stopped stretching and scratched the back his head, an eyebrow raised at her in question. Rukia recovered from her embarrassment and looked him in the eye.

"About time," she growled, "Do you want breakfast or not?" Ichigo shrugged and followed her as she turned into the kitchen. He took a stood at the island while Rukia rummaged through her refrigerator. Again Ichigo could not help but appreciate her ass, especially in the short, thin nightgown she wore.

Rukia turned around and spotted Ichigo looking away. She knew he had been looking at her ass, but she decided to let it pass. For now, anyway. It was silent as she began cooking some eggs and bacon on the stove. Ichigo got bored and started to play with the salt and pepper shakers. As Rukia was cooking she heard a 'clank' and turned to see Ichigo holding both shakers have empty in his hands, his eyes wide staring down at the piles of salt and pepper on the bar. Rukia's jaw dropped, and she groaned.

"Damnit, Ichigo!" He looked up at her in surprise.

"Ugh, this is like dealing with a five year old! Why the hell did you do that, you idiot?" Ichigo came out of his shock then.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" he protested, "The caps just fell off! It's not my fault you have shitty salt and pepper shaker caps!" Rukia threw her hands up in the air with a groan.

"Yeah right, strawberry!" she retorted, "They wouldn't be like that if you weren't messing with them in the first place!" The sizzling in the pan that was cooking bacon got louder, but neither adult noticed.

"This is not my fault!" he shouted back, "It's you're fault for buying cheap salt and pepper shakers!" The sizzling got even louder, but they simply raised their voices and ignored it.

"They were working just fine before you touched them!"

"They're salt and pepper shakers! You're 'supposed' to touch them!"

"Yeah, but—" Suddenly the door opened to reveal a disheveled and angry- looking Tatsuki. She wore blue pajama shirt and pants and her feet was bare, so it was easy to tell that she had just been sleeping.

"Will you both, please," she started, then shouted, "SHUT THE HELL UP?" Suddenly a pop came, making all three people jump. Rukia gasped and turned as she realized what the sound was.

"Shit, the bacon!" She quickly turned the stove off, but the pan was still sizzling so she used a towel to pick up the pan and carry it over to the sink. There she sat it down and ran cool water over it. Steam arose, and Rukia sighed in relief. Suddenly Tatsuki spoke, making both Rukia and Ichigo turn to her.

"Do you know," she growled dangerously, "What fucking time it is?" Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a confused glance before shrugging.

"IT'S SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE FUCKING MORNING!" she shouted, "Now you two better shut the hell up and let me sleep otherwise I will come back and karate chop your heads off and shove them up your asses!" With that she slammed the door shut, and it was silent. Ichigo turned to Rukia and swallowed, his face pale.

"Sh-She wouldn't really do that, would she?" Rukia blinked.

"I think we'd better leave before she decides to come back," she suggested. Ichigo quickly agreed and Rukia changed before they headed out the door. As they were walking towards her car Rukia glanced at him.

"Are you going to wear that all of the time you're 'guarding' me?" she asked. Ichigo looked down in surprise at his close before scratching the back of his head.

"Oh yeah," he sighed, "While we're out avoiding crazy we need to go by my apartment so I can get my stuff while I stay with you." Rukia sighed and nodded as they climbed into her car and pulled out.

Rukia stayed in the car while Ichigo ran up to get his things. He lived in an apartment, also, but they were not nearly as nice as hers were. She wasn't conceded or anything; money had never mattered much to her, but she could see that Ichigo didn't have very much of it if he was living in an area like this. Rukia sighed as she waited and waited. About fifteen minutes passed and he still hadn't come out yet. Finally she groaned and stepped out of the car.

She stood looking at the apartments, trying to remember which one he had gone into so that she might drag him out, when suddenly Rukia was slammed hard into the car from behind. Rukia took a moment to recover before she turned around. In front of her was three dangerous- looking men. One had straight silver- white hair and the creepiest smile she had ever seen in her life. His eyes looked closed but he seemed to be looking straight at her. The one standing next to him had electric blue hair and darker blue eyes. He wore green eye shadow on the corner of his eyes and an arrogant smirk on his face.

The last one sent chills up and down Rukia's spine. He had straight black hair and dead green eyes. His skin was pasty white, even whiter then her own, and green lines like tears were painted from the bottom of his eyes to the edge of his jaw. He stared at her with dull, uncaring eyes.

"Rukia Kuchiki," the silver smiley one stated. Rukia glared at him.

"Who are you?" she demanded, thanking god in her head that her voice didn't waver. The man's smile widened.

"I am Gin Ichimaru," he told her with a slight bow, "It's nice to meet you." Rukia's glare didn't waver at his fake hospitality.

"What do you want?" she asked flatly. Gin chuckled, as did the man with blue hair. The third did nothing but watch uninterestedly.

"We just wanted to talk, is all," Gin replied. Rukia's glare hardened.

"Then why the fuck did you hit me?" The man with blue hair stepped forward.

"That was me, sexy," he said with a wink, "I picked you out as the type of girl who likes it rough." Rukia's glare deepened and she spat at him. Wrong move. The man's eyes flashed dangerously and his hand whipped out to grab her hair roughly, pulling her downwards. The black haired one didn't move an inch, and Gin continued to smile.

"Yes, this is Grimmjow Jeagerjaques," he told Rukia, "He has a slight temper. You would have been better off insulting Ulquiorra over here."

"Yeah," Grimmjow growled, pulling hard on her hair, "I don't take spitting on by a bitch kindly, you got that?" Rukia had to bite her lip from crying out in pain. Grimmjow pulled her hair down so that she fell to her knees, and she felt the asphalt scrape her skin.

"Now, now, Grimmjow," Gin tutted, waving a slender finger at him, "We don't want her dead just yet." Grimmjow growled at being treated like an animal, but pulled Rukia up back to her feet by her hair and slammed her against the car. Rukia cried out a bit when her arm crashed into the side mirror and a sharp pain shot through her arm as it got clipped on the corner.

"Oh, so sorry," Gin said, giving her a face of fake sympathy, "Grimmjow can be a bit rough at times. Well, we should be going now. I think our message has been sent and received clearly enough, don't you?" The three turned to leave and made it a few steps before Rukia called out to him. Gin turned back to her.

"What message?" she asked. Gin smiled evilly.

"We're after you, Rukia Kuchiki, And we will have you."

* * *

><p>Ichigo climbed into the passenger seat and shut the door, throwing his duffel bag behind him.<p>

"Hey, sorry I took so long," he said, buckling his seat belt before turning to the unusually quiet Rukia, "I just couldn't find my—Holy shit, what happened to you?" Rukia's right arm was bruised and bloody, and when he looked closer Ichigo could see that her knees were scraped and cover in blood, also. Rukia avoided his eyes.

"Nothing," she replied, "I was getting out to go look for you and I tripped and fell, that's it." Ichigo's face hardened and he grabbed her chin to turn her face to look at him.

"Bull shit," he stated seriously, "Now tell me what really happened." Rukia glared at him.

"That is the truth, now take it and shut the hell up!" Ichigo glared back at her. She started to move the keys towards the ignition but he snatched them out of her hand.

"I want the truth, damnit! It's my job to protect you and I want to know who did this!"

"I don't want you to protect me, and I don't need you to," she snapped back, "Now just shut up so we can go."

"No!" Ichigo growled, "Tell me the truth NOW or we won't be going anywhere!" Rukia glared at him, and then finally sighed.

"Fine," she murmured reluctantly, "I'll tell you when we get back to my apartment, but can I fix this first?" Ichigo's eyes softened and he nodded, handing the keys over. She started the car and they rode in silence. Ichigo often glanced over at Rukia's arm and winced at the thought of how much pain she must be in now, though he knew she would never admit it.

They got back to Rukia's apartment and she went into the bathroom to start washing the wound on her arm. She noticed Ichigo standing at the doorway watching her but ignored him. Suddenly she touched a tender part and winced. Damn, that really hurt. Well, she'd had worse. Ichigo stepped forward.

"Let me help you," he said quietly. Rukia stepped away from his, sending him a slight glare.

"No," she replied, "I can take there of this myself. It's just a small cut, anyway." Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Just let me help, you idiot." Rukia shook her head in response, wanting the discussion to be over. She reached up towards the bathroom cabinet to grab a band-aid and winced. Ichigo stepped forward and opened the cabinet. He pulled out the box of band-aids and opened it as Rukia eyed him warily. Ichigo held one out and she grabbed it. The only problem was she couldn't find a way to put it on when she only had one hand to do so with. After a minute of struggling Ichigo finally sighed and took the band-aid from her, placing it carefully over her wound. His warm hands were soft against her cool skin and Rukia shivered.

"Sit down," Ichigo ordered. Rukia glared at him but sat down on the lid of the toilet. Ichigo grabbed a wash cloth from a drawer and wetted it before sitting on his knees and lightly dabbing at one of her knees. Above him he heard Rukia give a sharp intake of breath and paused.

"Sorry," he told her, "Are you alright?" Rukia nodded and he continued until he was satisfied that both scrapes were clean. Then he grabbed a few more band-aids and covered the cuts on her knees.

"There you go," he said finally, standing up. Rukia followed in suit, ignoring the slight sting in both of her knees and her arm.

"Thanks," Rukia mumbled. Ichigo smirked a bit.

"What was that, midget?" Rukia glowered up at him.

"Don't push it," she growled.

Gin kneeled before his master.

"Did you give her the message?" Aizen's relaxed voice came from the shadows surrounding his seat. Gin's creepy grin widened.

"Yes, sir," he said, "She received it quite well. We will have Rukia Kuchiki soon."

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><p><strong>Soooooooooooo? :) umm... hope you enjoyed it! Uhh,,, review and stuffs,,, gotta go byeee!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaackkkk! :D Hey, wassup? Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, I've been... distracted :) and I've been thinking of deleting some of my less popular stories, because I've just seemed to have lost interest in them... :/ Not this one, though ^^ ummmm so yeah... I hope you like it!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Ichigo sat in the small recliner in the living room, thinking. It was about midnight and Rukia had long since gone to bed, but Ichigo's active brain wouldn't let him do the same. Who were those guys, and why were they after Rukia? Ichigo's frowned deepened. He was disappointed and angry at himself that he hadn't been there to protect her. If he had been there, this wouldn't have happened and Rukia wouldn't have gotten hurt. Of course, they were only minimal scrapes and bruises, but what if it hadn't been? It could have gone a lot worse, and if they come back again when he's not there, it just might be.<p>

Rukia was tough, he had to admit, but Ichigo knew Rukia wouldn't be able to fend off more than one man who was more than half her size. Ichigo rubbed his eyes. It was obvious that he had to try a lot harder. At first he hadn't really been serious about the job since it didn't seem that Rukia was in any real danger, but now that those men had posed a threat to Rukia, Ichigo had to make sure he was by her side at all times. Just then there was a knock on the door.

Ichigo frowned. Who the hell would be knocking at this time? The knock came again and Ichigo stood, making his way to the door. He readied himself for an attack and opened the door. He had learned to expect anything—anything. A robber, one of the men from earlier, hell even a landlord asking for rent—hey, it had happened before. But what he didn't expect was two women, one tall and beautiful with long strawberry-blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, and large… eh, assets.

She was obviously drunk by the way she continued to giggle at nothing and leaned on the poor girl beside her. If that wasn't proof enough, she held an almost empty bottle of sake in her hand. The other girl was extremely shorter, about the size of Rukia, with light brown hair tied in a bun and large, soft brown eyes. This girl looked as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

"Oh, hello," she said, "I'm Momo, Momo Hinamori." Ichigo nodded.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he replied.

"Er, is Rukia here?" Momo asked tentatively, "I mean, if you guys are busy—"

"No," Ichigo interrupted automatically, "She's sleeping. I was assigned by her brother to be her body guard.

"Oh," Momo exclaimed, her eyes widening, "I didn't know that. Anyways, I'm a friend of Rukia's. So is she. This is Rangiku Matsumoto." The drunk one swayed and giggled. Her eyes scanned Ichigo over, a lecherous smirk plastered on her face.

"Hmm, hello hottie," she grinned, "Aren't you just delicious?" Ichigo rubbed the back of his head while Momo giggled nervously.

"Yeah, sorry about her," she told him with a small apologetic smile, "She likes to party, and it looks like she's had a bit too much." Rangiku started at that.

"I have not!" she said with a frown, "I can go days on this stuff without losing control!" The drunken woman swung her arms out dramatically, and Momo ducked to avoid getting hit.

"Er, would you mind if I came in and woke up Rukia?" she asked, "I don't really think I can handle Rangiku when she's like this on my own…"

"Uh, yeah sure. Come in," Ichigo said, stepping aside and holding the door open as Momo lead Rangiku inside. Momo got the woman to sit on the couch and then chewed her lip undecidedly.

"Would you mind waking up Rukia for me?" she asked, "Unless you want to watch Rangiku while I do it…" Ichigo contemplated for a moment. Either wake up the sleeping midget and risked getting the crap kicked out of him, or stay alone for a while with the woman who was undressing him with her eyes… Ichigo was out of the living room and walking into Rukia's bedroom in seconds. The room was dark and Ichigo paused a moment to let his eyes adjust. When they did he saw Rukia's sleeping form, slightly illuminated by the moon's light coming from the small window on the left wall of the room. Ichigo walked over to Rukia quietly.

In one word, he would describe the sight he saw adorable. Rukia lay with her hands under her head, the dark locks of her hair sprawled everywhere, and her small pink lips her parted ever so slightly as she breathed deeply in her sleep. Ichigo's eyes softened and he regretted having to wake her up, but there wasn't really any other option. He reached a hand forward to shake her shoulder when suddenly something came out of the sleeping woman's mouth.

"Ichi….go…." Ichigo froze. Was she awake? He waited a moment, but Rukia remained still. Ichigo's brow furrowed. If she wasn't awake, then… was she dreaming about him? Just then a small noise came from her, and Ichigo leaned closer.

"Ichigo…." She murmured. Ichigo's breath caught.

"Damn strawberry…." Ichigo let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes. He grabbed her shoulder and started shaking it violently.

"Oi midget, wake up!" Rukia's eyes flew open, and in a moment she had grabbed his arm, flipped him over onto the bed, and was on top of him, her fist pulled back ready to strike. Her angered face turned to one of surprise when she saw him, wearing the same expression she had.

"Ichigo?" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm Santa Clause." Rukia shrugged, slipping off of him.

"I could buy that." Ichigo sat up and glared at her, trying unsuccessfully to fix his hair.

"Anyways, why the hell are you waking me up?" she snapped, "It's the middle of the goddamn night, strawberry head!" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Oh, get over it." Rukia glared at him.

"I wouldn't be so pissed if you had woken me up a little more gently." Ichigo glared at her.

"Yeah, I was going to until you cussed me out in your sleep." Rukia's cheeks flushed red as her eyes widened. Ichigo would have loved to milk this up if he didn't remember the situation in the living room.

"Oh yeah, your friends Mommy and Rangoku or something are here," he said, "That Rangako one is drunk and keeps watching me like she's going to try to rape me." Rukia looked at him in surprise.

"You mean Momo and Rangiku?" Ichigo shrugged and Rukia slipped out of bed, grabbing a small silk robe as she went. Ichigo found himself not able to resist admiring her curves as she moved in her slim pajamas and tied the robe around her small waist. Rukia opened the door and looked back at him.

"Well, are you coming or not?" Ichigo snapped back to reality and followed Rukia into the living room, where Rangiku was giggling like mad and Momo's face was a bright crimson red. She spotted them and smiled, walking over to hug Rukia.

"Hey Rukia!" she greeted, releasing her from a hug to smile apologetically, "Sorry to wake you up so late, but Rangiku was at a club and one of her bar buddies asked me to pick her up, but I didn't really know what to do with her. I hope you're not too mad." Rukia smiled nicely at her friend.

"It's all right, Momo," she reassured her, "Let's just say you owe me one." Momo's smile grew and she nodded. Suddenly Rukia noticed Ichigo, who seemed to be hiding behind her.

"What the hell are you doing, strawberry?" Ichigo glared at her for the unwanted nickname.

"The drunk one keeps looking at me and licking her lips." Rukia turned to look at Rangiku, who had apparent lust in her eyes as they scanned over every inch of Ichigo. Rukia laughed.

"Ichigo, chill," she said, still giggling, "She just wants you for your body." She and Momo burst out laughing while Ichigo glared at them. One look from Rangiku and he edged away a little bit. Rukia shook her head, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Anyway, she won't do anything," she said, then after a thought added, "as long as you aren't in a room alone with her for too long." Ichigo looked at her with his mouth open.

"You're joking, right?" Rukia rolled her eyes at him.

"Just so get some ice water, idiot," she ordered. Ichigo glared at her.

"Bite me, midget," he hissed, but disappeared into the kitchen anyway. Rukia sat next to Rangiku on the love seat and Momo sat on the recliner.

"So how long has he been your body guard?" Momo asked, and then went on at Rukia's surprised expression, "He told me that he was assigned by your brother. I didn't know any of it." Rukia sighed and shrugged.

"Yeah, brother has been worried about me, so he assigned the idiot to be my body guard the day before yesterday." Momo nodded her understanding. Just then Rangiku hiccupped and brought the sake bottle to her lips.

"Oh no you don't," Rukia stated, ignoring the other woman's protest as she pried the bottle from her hands, "You're drunk enough as it is, we don't need you getting any worse." Rangiku giggled, then suddenly went silent as her eyes filled with lust once again.

"Soooo," she drawled, smirking, "That Ichigo…. I want him… I think I might have him…" Rukia felt a pang of—what, jealousy? Rukia shook this thought out of her head and rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Please, Rangiku," she started, "You don't even know him. Besides, you can do way better than that." Rangiku sighed, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully. Suddenly Rangiku's eyes lit up and she turned to Rukia with a large, mischievous grin Rukia had come to fear.

"So maybe you should have him," she stated as if it was the most ingenious thing in the world. Rukia's jaw dropped as she felt her face grow hot.

"What the hell are you talking about, Rangiku?" Rangiku's grin only became bigger.

"You two would be so cute together, and I'm sure you two would have such hot se—" Rukia place a hand over her friend's mouth before she could say more. By now Rukia's face was blood red.

"You really have had too much to drink, Ran," she stated, shaking her head. Just then Ichigo came back in with a glass of ice water in his hand. He handed to Rukia who gave it to Rangiku.

"Here, drink this," she demanded. Rangiku took a deep gulp of the water before making a face and holding it away from her as if it was the most disgusting thing imaginable.

"Ew!" she whined, "I don't want it! It doesn't taste like sake! My sweet, sweet sake…" Rukia sighed. It always had been hard to try and sober up Rangiku, but if anyone could do it, it was her. She pushed the glass towards her friend again.

"C'mon, Ran," she said, "Just a little more and then you can go to sleep." Rangiku's eyes went to examine Ichigo, who was still standing beside her.

"Do I get to bring him with me?" she asked seductively. Ichigo inched away from Rangiku and closer to Momo, who stifled a giggle. Rukia rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, Ran. Just drink it." Finally the woman sighed and finished the glass in one big gulp. After that Rukia took the glass from her and set it on the table. Everyone focused their gaze on Rangiku. The busty woman swayed a bit, her eyes glazed over, before falling over on Rukia. Rukia squealed at the sudden large weight put on her. Surely Rangiku would crush her with her ginourmous boobs. Ichigo and Momo leaped forward to pull Rangiku back so that Rukia could slip out from under her before letting her fall back down on the couch.

It was silent until Rangiku began to snore. Momo turned and smiled at Rukia.

'Thanks a lot, Rukia," she said, "I don't know what I would have done without you! But I should probably go now, I don't want to take any more of your night away—"

"No," Rukia interrupted quickly, "Don't go. It's way too late for you to be driving anywhere. You can stay here for the night. I won't take no for an answer." Momo chewed on her lip, frowning worriedly.

"Are you sure, Rukia? I mean, I've caused you so much trouble already—" Rukia smiled and shook her head.

"It's alright, Momo," she assured her, "that's what friends are for, right?" Momo smiled and nodded.

"But where will she sleep?" Ichigo asked, "and where will I sleep?" Rukia rolled her eyes.

"She'll share my bed and you can sleep in here with Rangiku," she said, smirking. Ichigo's eyes widened.

"No way in hell!" he protested, "she might try to rape me in my sleep or something!" Rukia laughed, rolling her eyes.

"I was just kidding, you idiot. You can take the guest bedroom." Ichigo stiffened, and his eyes narrowed at her.

"There was a guest bedroom?" he growled. Rukia shrugged, already walking away with Momo in tow.

"You shouldn't have taken my steak or made me miss my movie, strawberry." She disappeared into her room, and Momo threw him a quick smile and wave before the door shut behind the both of them. Ichigo growled under his breath.

Damn midgets.

* * *

><p>In the morning Ichigo awoke to the sound of quiet voices and the smell of bacon. He slipped out of bed and quickly got dressed in simple blue jeans and white t-shirt. Throwing his dirty clothes next to his duffel back, Ichigo walked out of the room and went to the kitchen. Momo and Rukia chatted quietly, Momo frying eggs while Rukia set bacon out on each of the four plates that were set out. Ichigo spotted Rangiku still sprawled face down on the couch.<p>

He took his seat at the island and grabbed for a piece of bacon only to get his hand smacked away by Rukia. She glared at him and he matched it.

"Wait for everyone else, you pig," she snapped. Ichigo groaned.

"Come on, I didn't even eat last night, I'm starving!" It was true that since their breakfast had been ruined and they had spent all night talking, the only thing they had eaten was a small meal from one of the restaurants they had visited while they were out. Rukia sighed.

"Fine then, but just this one time!" she warned, waving her spatula at him. Ichigo grinned and started to devour his bacon. Momo giggled while Rukia just rolled her eyes with just the slightest smile on her face. Just then a groan came from the couch and everyone look over to see Rangiku lifting herself up in a sitting position, holding her head with one hand. Rukia smiled as she set her spatula down and made her way over to her friend.

"Hey Ran, how're you feeling?" she asked softly, knowing that Rangiku would have a huge headache.

"Like Barney after we barbequed his head and flushed his body down the potty," Rangiku complained. From the kitchen Momo giggled and Ichigo snickered. Rukia smiled.

"Well what do you expect when you drink so much? What in the world were you thinking?" Rangiku chuckled guiltily.

"Sorry Ru," she replied, rubbing her head, "I guess I got a little carried away." Rukia scoffed.

"A little? Momo had to basically carry you here, and then you were ogling Ichigo all night like you were going to jump his bones any second!" Rangiku frowned in confusion.

"Ichigo…?" Just then she spotted the bright haired man sitting at the island. He gave her a little salute and grin. Rangiku pulled Rukia down so that she could whisper in her ear.

"Who the hell is that god sitting in your kitchen?"

"That would be my new body guard," Rukia informed her before adding, "And he is definitely not a god." Rangiku looked him over and then grinned at Rukia.

"So have ya done him yet?" Rukia's face flushed a deep vermillion.

"No!" she protested as Rangiku giggled at her friend's obvious embarrassment, "And I would never!" Rangiku raised an eyebrow at her with a small smile.

"Never is a long word," she sang. Rukia rolled her eyes. Luckily she was saved from more abuse because it was then that Rangiku had to rush to the bathroom to throw up. Momo muttered an apology before following Rangiku to hold her hair back while she threw up all of the alcohol she had had last night. Rukia stood across from Ichigo at the island and shook her head.

"Man, Rangiku got really drunk last night," she muttered, "And she's the best at holding down her liquor, so she must have cleared out the entire bar to get her that drunk." Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"You have weird friends." Rukia glared at him.

"I'm sure yours aren't any better." Ichigo shook his head.

"No way."

"Then shut up." They continued to eat in silence until Momo and Rangiku came back from the bathroom. Rangiku apologized for everything, even though Rukia said it was alright, and they finished their breakfast in peace. A while later Momo and Rangiku left, waving and throwing "nice to meet you's' at Ichigo on the way out. Rukia shut the door behind them and Ichigo groaned.

"I thought they would never leave." Rukia elbowed him in the gut before continuing to the kitchen to clean up. Ichigo sat on his stool again and sighed.

"Do you have any plans today?" he asked suddenly. Rukia thought a bit.

"Well, I promised to stop by Orihime's and try her new recipe for chicken, honey mustard, bean paste, and French fry soup, and I have a couple papers to do tonight for my brother's work. I also have to go grocery shopping; I'm out of a few things." Ichigo nodded and it was silent as Rukia finished cleaning. Once she was done Ichigo waited for her to get dressed.

"Alright, let's go," she said once she walked back into the living room. She wore light blue slacks, a black button-up shirt, and thin blue jacket. Her dark hair was up in a bun and she wore black flats. Ichigo nodded and they started to walk out when something laying on the ground in front of the door as if it had been slipped under caught his eye. Rukia frowned as he bent down and picked it up.

"What is it?" Ichigo examined the card and felt his stomach drop. It was a small white blank piece of paper with four simple words on it.

We will get you.

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><p><strong>There we are :) Hope you liked it! ^^ If you don't know what Rangiku meant by Barney and flushed his head down a potty, it's a song I learned a long time ago, it goes with the same tune as Joy to the World. It's;<strong>

**Joy to the world, Barney's dead! We barbecued his head! Don't worry 'bout the body, we flushed it down the potty! Round and round it goes, round and round it goes!**

**...so yeah :) I hope no religious folk get mad at me, I mean nothing by it! I didn't come up with it, and I'm not meaning to be offensive! :) Anyhoosers... Love you guys! Thanks for the reviews, and I shall see you soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Back :) How's it goin'? :D Umm... yeah! Sooo I hope you like this :) Man I was so focused on this one story, and then I started writing another one out of nowhere I hate when that happens! But oh well :P Anyways,**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Rukia and Ichigo walked towards Orihime's apartment in silence. The note that had been slipped under the door, obviously for Rukia, was still burning a hole in Ichigo's pocket. Ichigo stared at the ground solemnly as he walked. Now they knew that the people after Rukia knew where she lived. They couldn't stay there, could they? Of course, he knew he would have a hard time convincing Rukia to stay anywhere else.<p>

They made it up the first flight of rusty iron steps and Rukia knocked on the door to the left. There was a call from inside and a few seconds later the door flung open. Ichigo blinked as he looked upon a younger-looking version of Rangiku.

Her hair was long and strawberry-blonde and her large eyes a pretty gray. But what was really similar with her and Rangiku is the large… assets.

"Oh," Orihime exclaimed, her eyes widening at the sight of Ichigo, "Rukia, is this your body guard?" Rukia gave her a tight smile.

"Yes, Orihime," she said, "This is Ichigo Kurosaki. Strawberry, this is Orihime Inoue." The two shook hands and Orihime moved to the side to let them in.

"Come on in! I was just making my new recipe for you to try out!" As they sat down at the table Rukia pulled down Ichigo's collar so that she could whisper in his ear.

"Be careful, Orihime usually puts random things in her meals. She thinks it's good, but to us it's pretty much toxic." Ichigo rolled his eyes at her.

"C'mon, it can't be that bad." Rukia raised her eyebrows as if to say 'I warned you'. Just then Orihime came up with two steaming bowls.

"Here you are!" she announced excitedly, setting the bowls in front of Ichigo and Rukia, "Eat up!" Ichigo paled at the sight of what was in the bowl and Rukia snickered. He sent her a withering glare before he turned back to his so-called soup. The broth was a dark, murky brown color, like mud, and there were junks of what looked like jelly beans, some type of meat, and mashed up French fries. Ichigo made a face and Rukia elbowed him in the ribs under the table before leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"Just take a little sip and she'll be happy," she instructed, "but make sure not to eat the chicken. She never cooks it all the way through." Ichigo almost gagged at the thought of having to try any of this concoction. He glanced over at Rukia to see her take a sip of the broth. She covered her mouth as she gagged and Ichigo could have sworn her face took on a greenish shade.

Ichigo swallowed his fears and brought the spoon up to his lips. The moment he felt the slimy, slightly hard liquid slide down his throat, he had to force the bile to stay down. Orihime was clutching her hands to her chest watching him carefully, and Rukia glanced between him and Orihime nervously. Finally Ichigo swallowed without puking and gave Orihime a pitiful smile. The woman squealed.

"So you guys like it? Yay! I'll make some more then, to share with everyone!" Orihime exclaimed, going back into the kitchen. Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a warning glance and Rukia nodded. She stood and smiled at Orihime.

"Sorry Orihime, we have to go now," she said, causing the other girl to pout, "But we'll come by again, alright? You should call Rangiku, I'm sure your food will help her get over her hang over."

"Alright!" Orihime replied bubbly, "I'll call her right now! See you guys later, and it was nice to meet you Mr. Kurosaki!" Ichigo and Rukia both waved before they were out the door and heading for Rukia's car.

"So why exactly did you set your friend up for a death trap?" Ichigo asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Rukia said, rolling her eyes, "Other than Orihime, Rnagiku is the only one who eats Orihime's food and actually likes it." Ichigo shook his head as they climbed into the car.

"Again, your friends are insane," he told her. Rukia glared at him as she started the car and pulled away.

"Oh shut up," she snapped, "I'm sure your friends are worse since they're dumb enough to hang around you. If you have any friends, that is."

"Hey!" Ichigo protested, "I have friends! And yeah, they're insane, and Keigo's stupid, but they're all good guys on the inside." Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you say, strawberry." Ichigo glared at her.

"Shut up, damn midget." They drove for a while in silence until Ichigo turned on the radio. Some loud rock song came on and he grinned, turning it up. Rukia winced at the loud clashing and turned it down.

"Hey!" Ichigo protested.

"You should be lucky I'm not turning it off," Rukia interrupted before he could go any further, "This is total crap, and I'd like it not be the last thing I hear when it blows out my ear drums." Ichigo rolled him eyes.

"Come on, this is not crap," he insisted, "It's rock!"

"Crap," she conceded. Ichigo glared at her.

"You're impossible, midget."

"You're insufferable, strawberry."

"Dwarf."

"Giant."

"Princess."

"Peasant."

"MIDGET!"

"STRAWBERRY!" Just then Ichigo spotted something in his side mirror that made him close his mouth from saying another insult. Rukia thought he had given up and snickered.

"What, can't think of anything?" Ichigo turned to her.

"Switch me." Rukia frowned.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Switch me." Rukia stared at the serious look on his face and nodded speechlessly. Both of them undid their seatbelts and Ichigo slid over while Rukia climbed over him. They both blushed a bit when they passed each other, but then Ichigo was at the wheel and he took a sharp left turn. Rukia hadn't put her seat belt on yet and was thrown against the door.

"Ow!" she cried out, and glared at Ichigo, "What the hell did you do that for, you psycho?"

"Look behind you," was all he answered. Rukia frowned and peered into the side mirror. There she saw small black car directly behind them and in the driver's seat was Gin Ichimaru. He smiled creepily and waved to her. Rukia felt a shiver go down her spine as she pulled away from the mirror and fastened her seat belt. When she looked over at Ichigo he already had this on, and his eyes scanned the road.

"Why is he following us?" she asked, "What the hell does he want from me?"

"I don't know, but I'd rather find that out before it's too late," Ichigo replied. Rukia looked back in her mirror and noticed Gin was a lot closer than before.

"Ichigo," she warned.

"I know," he replied, "Hold on to something." Ichigo slammed the accelerator and the car roared, lurching forward. He swerved and dodged other cars who honked around him, and suddenly he took a sharp right, skidding onto another street before speeding up again.

"Is he still back there?" he asked. Rukia looked in the side mirror but saw nothing but the empty road. She twisted to peer through the back window. She turned back around with a relieved sighed.

"I think we lost him." Just then the black car jumped out in front of them from a neighboring street and Rukia shrieked as Ichigo slammed on the breaks and swerved around the car. He took another right and they sped onto the main roads.

"Shit, that was close," he muttered. Rukia looked at him incredulously.

"No shit, Sherlock!" she shouted. Just then she spotted Gin in the review mirror following closely behind them.

"Damn, he's persistent," Rukia muttered, "Come on, you're my body guard. Lose him!" Ichigo looked behind him before speeding into another lane, throwing a glare at her.

"That's easier said than done, midget." After a while of dodging cars, Ichigo spotted a construction site and got an idea.

"Hold on tight, midget," he ordered, and Rukia held onto the seat for dear life as he veered to the right and off the road towards the site. Rukia's eyes widened.

"What the hell are you doing?" she shouted, "You're gonna kill someone!" Ichigo didn't respond as he pressed his foot harder on the gas petal. He peered into the review mirror and spotted Gin following him. Perfect. Some of the workers noticed him and shouted.

He lifted a hand in apology but didn't stop. The car lurched forward just as the back hoe's claw was coming down. Rukia squeezed her eyes shut and grasped Ichigo's arm tight. A large clash of metal erupted in the air, but their car continued to go.

"Rukia," Ichigo called, "Look." Rukia opened her eyes and looked behind them to see Gin's black car crashed into the back hoe, surrounded by angry construction workers.

"You did it," she breathed, turning to Ichigo. He shrugged as he pulled back onto the road.

"We can't go back to your house," he told her, "They know where you live." Rukia sighed. She knew this had been coming.

"I know, but where will we stay?" Ichigo shrugged.

"My place?" Rukia sighed. Ichigo watched as suddenly her eyes widened and her face turned red. At first he thought it was just the thought of her being in his apartment and was about to comment when she suddenly spoke.

"Go to the closest grocery store now," she ordered. Ichigo frowned.

"You're not really planning on getting groceries, are you? We can't go back to your—"

"That's not it!" Rukia shouted. Ichigo jumped and glanced at Rukia strangely.

"What the hell did I do?" Ichigo asked. Rukia sighed exasperatedly.

"Do you want me to bleed all over your car?" Ichigo frowned worriedly.

"What do you mean, did you get hurt?" Rukia's face reddened and she shook her head. Ichigo continued to frown before realization lit up in his eyes and his cheeks turned rosy.

"Oh." Rukia sighed.

"You'll have to go in and get them for me." The look on Ichigo's face made it seemed like she had just asked him to kill a puppy.

"What the hell? No way!" Rukia glared at him.

"Well, I can't go in!" she told him, "These pants are already stained! Come on, just go in for me!" Ichigo groaned. He had pulled into the parking lot of a Walgreens and now sat arguing in the car.

"I'm a guy! What will the other people think if I go in there looking for… woman things?" Rukia rolled her eyes.

"It's a tampon, Ichigo. You can say tampon. Besides, they'll just think that you're picking it up for your girlfriend or something." Ichigo glared at her.

"I do way too many things for you, midget," he muttered. Rukia smirked and shrugged at him before shooing him away with her hand.

"Now go in there and get me my stuff before I stain my seat." Ichigo sighed and got out of the car, throwing her another glare before walking into the store. His face was already burning as he headed to the section with… eh, those things. A pretty woman was in there and looked him over before giggling and walking away. Ichigo ran a hand over his face agitatedly.

The midget would so pay for this. Finally he forced himself to observe what was on the shelf. There were tons and tons of different boxes and brands, and Ichigo scratched his head. How the hell was he supposed to know which ones he should get?

Just then someone tapped on his arm and Ichigo turned to see an older woman there. Uh oh. She was probably going to beat him over the head with her purse while calling him a pervert.

"Hello young man, do you need help with something?" Ichigo looked at her in surprise, and she chuckled.

"I noticed you were stuck here, your bright red face and hair stuck out like a sore thumb," she told him, "Now what are you looking for?"

"Eh, my friend needs one of… these," Ichigo answered, motioning to the shelves of tampons. The old woman nodded.

"And what size is your girlfriend?" Ichigo ignored the fact that she called Rukia his girlfriend and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well… She's really small…" he said. The old woman nodded and grabbed a black box with colorful tampons featured on the front.

"Here you go," she said, handing it to him, "These are the mini ones, so they should be alright."

"Thanks," Ichigo told her. She waved her hand at him dismissively and smiled.

"Don't mention it," the woman replied, "If I hadn't, I was afraid you would pass out from embarrassment! Well good bye, young man." The woman walked away and Ichigo walked to the closest cash register which had a young boy about twenty or so behind the counter. His nametag read Donovan and he raised an eyebrow when Ichigo set the box on the counter.

"Your girlfriend made you get her stuff, huh?" Donovan asked, shaking his head and chuckling, "Women. But hey, at least they make it up to you, if you know what I mean." Donovan winked and Ichigo rubbed his eyes, wishing he could just punch the guy, scan the stuff, and leave.

"Maybe if you ask nicely she'll let you put it in for her," Donovan laughed obnoxiously. Ichigo growled and grabbed the bag, walking out of the store before he decided to go back and beat the kid up. He reached the car and slipped in, throwing the bag with tampons at Rukia.

"It's about time!" she snapped as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, "What the hell took you so long?" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"What did you expect? I didn't know what the hell to get so this old lady gave me those, and some kid at the cash register was being an idiot." Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, I have to get this on now before I get blood on the seat." Ichigo turned bright red.

"What the hell are you talking about? You can't put that on in here!" Rukia rolled her eyes again as she slipped through the middle into the back seat.

"I'm not going to take my pants off, you idiot," she growled, "but if I see you look back here once I'm going to kick your ass." Ichigo sighed and continued to drive, forcing himself not to glance in the review mirror when he hear rustling and some whispered curses coming from the back seat. Finally Rukia climbed back into the front.

"So are we going to your place?" she asked, and mentally slapped herself. She sounded like a hooker when she asked it like that. Ichigo noticed, too, but simply nodded. It was quiet while they drove, and finally they pulled up in front of his apartment.

"Eh, Ichigo," Rukia muttered nervously, glancing out of the windows. Ichigo rolled his eyes as he turned the car off and stepped out.

"Relax, no one will see you," he told her. She still looked worried, and Ichigo sighed.

"Fine, I'll walk behind you. Alright?" Finally Rukia nodded and he waited by her door as she stepped out. Rukia lead the way to his apartment by his direction, Ichigo following closely by. They made it in and Ichigo shut the door behind him. He turned to see Rukia looking at him.

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Rukia sighed, crossing her arms.

"What am I supposed to do now?" she asked, "I can't walk around in this outfit for forever, especially with how they are! And I certainly won't be able to fit into your clothes." Ichigo rubbed his eyes.

"It'll be fine," he told her softly, soothing her nerves a bit, "I'll go back to your house and get some of your things while you wait here. Alright?" Rukia shook her head, placing her hands on her hips.

"You can't go alone," Rukia demanded, "Those guys might have gone back to my apartment. Let me come with you." Ichigo shook his head.

"They're after you, not me," he reminded her, "I don't know what they want from you, but I'm sure as hell not gonna just hand you over." Rukia frowned stubbornly.

"But I can help you if there's trouble," she insisted, "Even if you're not me, they still might hurt you. After all, Gin probably saw you driving earlier." Ichigo sighed and ran a hand through his hair, ready for this conversation to be over.

"It's fine, Rukia," he said, and Rukia's eyes widened a bit at him using her real name, "I'll be in and out and right back here in no time. Trust me, will you?" Rukia still didn't want him to go, but nodded anyway. Ichigo nodded back and opened his door before turning back to her.

"I have my cell phone with me, and I put my number into your phone last night in case you ever needed it," Ichigo told her. Rukia raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged.

"It was there and I had nothing better to do," he explained before going on, "Call me if you need anything and I'll be right back no matter what, alright?" Rukia nodded. When he wasn't being an ass, Ichigo was actually pretty considerate. Ichigo nodded also but hesitated.

"Keep the door locked, and don't answer it if you don't know who it is," he instructed, "Even if they say they're my neighbor, stay quiet and pretend you're not here." Rukia smiled a bit.

"Alright daddy, I have it covered, you can go now," she teased. Ichigo rolled his eyes and started out the door again before he poked his head through again.

"Oh, and one last thing," he said, and Rukia looked at him expectantly, causing him to smirk, "If you need to look through the peephole, there's a stool over there for you to stand on since your midget legs probably aren't long enough—" Ichigo dodge quickly as a pillow was sent flying at his head and shut the door. Rukia sighed as she turned towards the empty apartment, rubbing her arm at how creepy the place seemed when she was alone.

She sat on the couch and hugged her knees to her chest. Well, all there was left to do now was wait.

* * *

><p>The time passed excruciatingly slow, and Rukia could feel the seed of worry in her gut growing and growing by the second. Why wasn't Ichigo back yet? How long had he been gone? Rukia glanced at her watch but couldn't remember what time he left, so it was useless. She took to wandering around his apartment, trying to keep herself busy so she didn't start going insane from the quiet nothingness that filled the place. There was only one room, a bathroom, two closets, and a kitchen.<p>

Rukia wondered for a moment how the sleeping arrangements were going to go since there was only one bed, but her growing angst wiped it quickly out of her mind. She searched through his fridge like the nosy person she was and only found ramen and other microwavable foods.

She rolled her eyes. Had this guy ever cooked a meal in his life? Her guess was no. After a while Rukia settled herself on the couch and turned on the TV, flipping through different channels. She was trying to decide between Lie to Me and Sponge Bob when suddenly a knock came from the door. Fear gripped her heart as Rukia groped for the remote and shut the TV off.

Another knock came and Rukia carefully wandered over, stepping on the stool she had placed in front of the door to peek through the peephole. There stood a guy with brilliant red hair and strange tattooed eyebrows. He looked bored as he leaned to the side, chewing on a piece of grass. The man wore dirty blue jeans, a dark blue t-shirt and brown vest which were both covered in what looked to be oil.

As far as Rukia could see he didn't have a weapon on him or look the slightest bit dangerous, but she stuck to her word and didn't answer the door. The guy knocked again a few times before rolling his eyes and walked away, looking annoyed.

Rukia collapsed on the ground with her back to the door, trying to catch the breath she had been holding in. Ichigo, where are you?

* * *

><p>It was a while longer before another knock came from the door and Rukia looked through the peep hole.<p>

"Oi, midget open up! It's me." Rukia flung the door open to reveal Ichigo both his blue duffel bag and her purple one. As far as she could observe he wasn't hurt, though he looked a bit annoyed. Ichigo raised an eyebrow as she continued to stand there.

"Hey midget, you alright?" Rukia's jaw dropped as he walked past her and into his apartment. She shut the door and turned to glare at him.

"Am I alright?" she shouted, "Am I alright?" Ichigo had already dropped the duffel bags on the ground and open his mouth to say something when suddenly Rukia flung herself into him, wrapping her tiny arms around his waist.

"A man came to the door and I didn't know who he was, and you were taking so long to get back," she sniffled. Ichigo's eyes softened and he wrapped his arms around her tiny, slim waist.

"You had me scared as shit, you asshole," Rukia's muffled voice told him. The corner of Ichigo's lip curved up. So she had been worried about him.

"Sorry," he replied softly, "It took longer than I expected, too. I'm alright, though." Rukia pulled away then and avoided his eyes, making Ichigo chuckled amusedly.

"So what about this guy that came to the door? What did he look like and what happened?" Rukia wrinkled her nose.

"He was really weird looking," she answered, remembering the strange guy's fake eyebrows, "He had bright as red hair, even weirder than yours, and had tattoos on his face." Ichigo's eyes lit up in recognition and he laughed.

"Oh, that was just my friend Renji," the strawberry explained, "Nothing to worry about there, he wouldn't hurt a fly. He's just stupid." Rukia nodded; she could believe that.

"By the way, where am I going to sleep?" she asked suddenly. Ichigo's face paled a bit as he realized the problem.

"Oh yeah… couch?" he suggested. Rukia gasped and kicked him in the shin, making him yelp.

"How dare you! I'm a woman and your guest, you don't make me sleep on the couch!" Ichigo glared as he nursed is aching shin.

"Then what do you suggest, midget?"

"Give me your bed and you sleep on the couch." Ichigo's jaw dropped.

"No way, midget!" he protested stubbornly, "It's my house and my bed; there's no way I'm giving it up to a midget like you!" Rukia sighed exasperatedly, throwing her hands up.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Ichigo rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"I guess we could share?" he suggested. Rukia crossed her arms.

"There's no way I'd ever do that," she muttered. Ichigo sighed.

"There's no other way, midget," he said, "You don't have to worry about me trying anything, sheesh. You're not my type, anyway." Rukia glared at him before sighing.

"Fine," she surrendered, "we share, but one wrong move and your ass is going outside." Rukia grabbed her bag and pushed past him towards the bathroom.

"Hey, but this is my house!" he reminded her. Rukia shrugged.

"I know." Ichigo grumbled as the door to the bathroom shut. Damn midget.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooh la la, sharing a bed, eh? ;) And Ichigo, you're such a lier, saying she isn't your type... ^^ Anyhoosers, I hope ya liked it! Review and things, see ya!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Hola :) Sorry about the late update... I keep losing track of time I really need to sort out my priorities... of course you guys will be near the top ;) Anyhoosers, since I've been a slacker and whatnot, there's not really anything I can think of to say other than... Give any suggestions, comments, questions, or concerns you might have! They make me feel loved :) Anyhowsers...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Why, oh why did she have to open the door then? The door was cracked, but if she had been paying any attention she would have noticed the rustling sounds coming from the room and the fact that Ichigo's bag wasn't in the living room. But Rukia paid no mind to this and pushed the bedroom door open to reveal Ichigo turned away from her in only his boxers and in the process of taking his shirt off.<p>

Rukia froze as she watched the muscles on his back ripple. She never had liked a lot of muscles on guys but didn't like when they had none, and Ichigo had the perfect amount. She closed her mouth just as Ichigo turned around and spotted her.

"Oh," he said in surprise, "Hey. Don't mind if I sleep like this, do you?" He was being unusually kind to her since she had freaked out earlier, and Rukia shook her head. Ichigo's eyes appraised her; she was wearing long silver silk pajama bottoms and a matching button- up top. Both showed her neat figure perfectly, and Ichigo had to force himself to tear his eyes away from her body to look into her bright Indigo eyes.

"Alright," he said finally. They climbed into bed, Ichigo on the left and Rukia on the right, both facing opposite directions. Ichigo lay on his side, his eyes wide open as he stared into the dark room. No matter what he did, he couldn't get his mind off of the small woman in his bed. Everything about her seemed to draw him in; her body, her hair, her eyes, her lips… Her beautiful eyes were like two dark orbs that could comfort him and also see right through him. Ichigo closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to shake these thoughts out of his mind. While he battled with himself, he wasn't aware that the woman beside him was going through the same thing about him.

_Shut up_, Rukia willed her brain, _Shut up, shut up!_ She couldn't stop thinking about _him_. Her mind kept going back to when she had walked in, his muscles so strong and inviting… Rukia sighed quietly, squeezing her eyes shut hard before opening them again. What was is about this man that made her so interested? She was never the one to trip over herself for a guy, but this one seemed to rip down her defenses and peer into the darkest recesses of her heart without even trying.

Finally Rukia sighed and buried her face into the pillow, knowing that she'd be lucky if either of them gained an hours' sleep that night.

* * *

><p>Rukia awoke feeling very comfortable. Strong arms were wrapped around her and her head rested on a strong chest. Here, encased in this person's arms, she felt safer and more peaceful in a long time. She snuggled closer to the person, wanting this feeling to last for as long as possible.<p>

Ichigo felt as if he was on cloud nine. Someone lay close in his arms, their head rested on his chest. His eyes flitted open to see who it was and froze. Rukia was cuddled in his arms, looking even more serene than she had when he had to wake her up the other night. He watched in shock as a small smile appeared on her face, and she snuggled up to him even more, making him blush.

What was he supposed to do? Should he wake her? Or would it be better just to get out of bed and let her wake up on her own? The second option might get him out with less pain, but Ichigo found himself frozen in place, as if mesmerized, by Rukia. She moved even closer to him in her sleep, her body now pressed flush against his and her warm breath tickling his neck. Ichigo laid stock still, not knowing what to do. He looked back at Rukia's pretty, peaceful face and lightly brushed a small strand of black hair from her face. She responded to his touch and leaned in, so that Ichigo was cradling her face in his hand.

Just then her eyes flickered open, and just as her glazed indigo eyes were beginning to focus Ichigo snatched his hand away.

"Ichigo?" she asked confusedly. Ichigo opened his mouth to respond but was cut off when Rukia gasped and shot up. She glared at him as her face flushed deep red.

"You pervert!" she accused, "I told you not to try anything!" Ichigo sat up also and rolled his eyes.

"I didn't, you idiot," he replied, "I just happen to cuddle things in my sleep." Ichigo rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably; he hadn't told anyone that ever. The only people who knew were him, his sisters, and now Rukia. Rukia looked at him in surprise for a moment before sighing and slipping out of bed.

"Fine, let's just get dressed and have breakfast." Ichigo agreed and watched as Rukia gathered her clothes and left for the bathroom. Then he sighed and rubbed his eyes. What the hell was going on with him? In the bathroom Rukia leaned against the door, trying to catch her breath. Ichigo had been the one she was comforted by in her sleep? What the hell was going on with her?

Once the two were dressed Ichigo sat at the island as Rukia bustled around his kitchen, looking for something other than ramen to make for breakfast. Finally she gave up, throwing her hands in the air.

"How in the world do you not have a single egg?" she asked incredulously, "Have you ever cooked once in your life?" Ichigo shrugged.

"Not really," he replied, "when I was younger my little sister Yuzu did all the cooking, and I never felt like learning how." Rukia paused a second.

"You have a sister?" Ichigo nodded, messing with the salt shaker before Rukia snatched it away and set in on another counter away from him.

"Two," he informed her with a fondness in his eyes Rukia had never expected to see in him before, "Karin and Yuzu. Karin is the tomboy of the family. She really loves soccer; she's been playing it ever since she was five.

"Yuzu, ever since Mom died, does all of the cooking and cleaning in the house. She's really good at it, too." Rukia leaned forward, listening intently.

"So what about your dad?" she asked. Ichigo shook his head.

"My dad's insane," he said matter-of-factly, "He runs the family clinic and is a really good doctor, but any time I go over there he doesn't hesitate to kick my ass, yelling something about an ungrateful son."

"So you two don't get along very well?" Rukia prodded again. She knew she was being nosy, but there were so many things about Ichigo that she didn't know, and for some reason she really wanted to know everything about him.

"Nah, we get along just fine," Ichigo responded, surprising Rukia, "He just likes abusing me. As I told you, he's insane."

"Hm," Rukia murmured thoughtfully. Ichigo watched her for a second before nudging her in the shoulder.

"So what about you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Rukia sighed.

"Well I have one older sister, Hisana," she told him, "And this might surprise you, but her marriage to Byakuya is the only reason I call him brother." Ichigo's eyebrows shot up.

"You mean he's not your real brother?" he asked, and Rukia shook her head.

"Nope. My older sister Hisana went to school with him. They started dating and dated for seven years and waited until they were both out of college and had jobs to get married."

"Whoa," Ichigo muttered, "You guys are so alike, though." Rukia shrugged.

"Maybe, but I'm not as strict as Byakuya."

"You sure about that?"

"Shut up, Strawberry!" Ichigo barely dodged the pepper shaker that was sent whizzing at his head.

"Hey! You're going to have to pay for that!" Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Strawberry." Ichigo glowered at her one more time before asking,

"So what about your parents?" Rukia sighed.

"They both died in a car crash when I was nine. I was in the back seat and a drunk driver hit us. I lived, but both of them died… I never thought Hisana would forgive me for that," Rukia trailed off. Ichigo's eyes softened.

"It wasn't your fault, Rukia," he said softly. Rukia shook her head and looked him dead in the eye.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Three sharp knocks sounded from the door, breaking the spell cast on the kitchen. Rukia stiffened as Ichigo stood.

"Stay right here," he ordered and Rukia nodded. Ichigo made it to the door and looked through the peephole. He rolled his eyes and opened the door to reveal Renji, the same man from yesterday.

"What do you want?" Ichigo asked rudely. Renji snickered at him.

"What's up your ass today? I thought your period didn't start until next month." As the two bickered back and forth, Rukia edged closer. Finally Renji spotted her and halted in the middle of his comeback. Ichigo turned, also, and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh yeah, Renji, this is Rukia. Midget, this is Renji," he introduced. Renji raised an eyebrow at Ichigo.

"So no wonder you're so grouchy," he said with a smirk, "Let me guess, you didn't get any?" Both Ichigo and Rukia's face reddened.

"It's not like that, Renji," Ichigo told him, "I was assigned to be her body guard." Renji's eyes scanned over Rukia before turning back to Ichigo.

"You usually don't bring your work home with you," he pointed out. Ichigo sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"A situation came up and it wouldn't be safe to go back to her place, so I brought her here," he explained, feeling his patience (the bit that he had, anyway) dwindling away, "Now what do you want, Renji?"

"Oh, right!" Renji said, "About that. You remember when I went on a date with that hot tomboy chick from the shop? Well I really like her and I was wondering if you'd come with me on a kind of double date thing? Ruka can come with you, in fact that'd be perfect!" Rukia crossed her arms and glared at him.

"It's Rukia," she hissed. Both boys ignored her as Ichigo sighed.

"C'mon, man," Renji begged, "I really like her and I know I'll just screw it up." Finally Ichigo sighed again.

"Alright," he told him, "I'll go." Ichigo looked back at Rukia.

"You're comin', too midget," he told her, "I can't leave you here by yourself." Rukia glared at him.

"One, don't call me midget," she demanded, kicking him in the shin, "and two, don't tell me what to do, strawberry."

"Bitch," Ichigo muttered. Renji raised an eyebrow at the two.

"I think I'm gonna like this chick," he said with a smirk, "Now let's go!" Renji drove in his car, with Ichigo in the passenger seat and Rukia in the back as he talked on and on about something neither of them listened to. Finally they arrived at a small café downtown and entered. Rukia looked around nervously. What if those guys were there? What if they had followed them? She wasn't concerned just for her own safety, but Ichigo and Renji's also. Ichigo noticed her worried glances and leaned down so that his mouth was right by her ear.

"It's alright," he murmured, "I didn't see anyone follow us, and even if something comes up, I'll protect you. Alright?" Rukia nodded and gave him a small, thankful smile. Renji lead them to the back of the café to a small booth where a tomboyish looking girl with short, dark black hair sat sipping her coffee. Rukia's jaw dropped as they approached the table.

"Tatsuki?" The tomboy looked up and grinned.

"Hey Rukia," she greeted, "What are you doing here?" Rukia shrugged.

"I have no idea," she muttered, crossing her arms, "The damn strawberry dragged me here." Tatsuki chuckled and shook her head.

"Hey, at least he cares, or something," she threw out before turning to the two boys.

"Are you gonna stand there all day? Sit your asses down." Renji sat next to Tatsuki, and Rukia and Ichigo slipped into the booth across from them.

"So how do you know each other?" Renji asked the two girls. Ichigo spoke before either had the opportunity to.'

"They live in the same apartment building," he informed him. Rukia glared at him.

"He wasn't talking to you, doof," she scolded, flicking him on the head before turning to Renji, "But he's right, Tatsuki and I are neighbors." Tatsuki nodded before rolling her eyes.

"But ever since Ichigo became her body guard I can never get to sleep because the two are always fucking fighting!"

"We're not that bad," the other two argued at the same time, causing them to glare at each other.

"Maybe you are, strawberry, but I don't argue that bad," Rukia stated. Ichigo's jaw dropped.

"What are you, on dope, midget? You're worse than I am, and you're half my size, if that!" Rukia sent him a swift kick in the shin under the table.

"What did I tell you about calling me midget, strawberry?"

"Stop calling me strawberry then, midget!"

"Never!"

"Then I'll never stop calling you midget!"

"You know what? Fine!"

"Fine!" Tatsuki shook her head and rubbed her temples while Renji looked back and forth between the two arguers. Finally he turned to her.

"Are they like this all the time?" he asked. Tatsuki sighed and nodded.

"Believe me, this isn't even half bad," she muttered. Finally the two across the booth had stopped bickering and sat quietly fuming, looking in opposite directions.

"Are mommy and daddy done fighting now?" she asked sarcastically, earning a glare from both people. She brushed it off as if it was nothing and leaned forward.

"Look, why don't you two just fuck and get it over with, eh?" Ichigo and Rukia's faces both turned cherry red and their jaws hung open. Even Renji looked at her in surprise, though it was for a different reason.

"You thought of it too?" he asked with a grin. Tatsuki smirked and nodded before looking back at the companions across from her.

"Look, if you two just fucked I'm sure the fighting would go down at least a bit," she told them, "and it would ease up on the sexual tension in here. Seriously, I think you gave out waiter a boner." Rukia's face flushed and she shook her head.

"You two are fucking insane," she protested. Ichigo nodded, his face almost putting Renji's hair to shame.

"Agreed," he said, "you two are freaks." Tatsuki sighed, shaking her head.

"Well, I tried," she replied with a shrug. For the rest of the time they spent at the café they talked on and on about random things, and Rukia explained her situation without giving too much detail. At the end of her story, Tatsuki shook her head.

"Damn," she muttered, "I'm sorry, Ruk." Rukia shook her head, giving her friend a small smile.

"It's not your fault," she reminded her, "Besides, maybe strawberry here will actually be useful if they come after me again." Ichigo didn't respond and Rukia frowned.

"Hey strawberry, what's up with you? You haven't talked this entire time." Suddenly Ichigo stood.

"We have to go," he said abruptly. Rukia frowned.

"I didn't mean for you to take the joke that bad—"

"It's not that," Ichigo interrupted, "we have to go. Now." Rukia felt a shiver of fear run down her spine but nodded calmly and stood.

"Sorry guys," she told Renji and Tatsuki with a small smile, "We have to go. See you later, though." The two nodded and barely had time to say their good-byes before Ichigo was dragging Rukia out of the café and back on the street.

"Where are we going?" Rukia asked as they veered away from the parking lot and crossed the street, "Who's here? Damnit Ichigo, answer me!"

"Later," Ichigo told her, "I'll tell you later, but right now we have to get out of here." He took her hand and continued to pull her down the street, taking random turns and crossing busy roads. All the while Rukia was wondering where the hell they were going, but the serious look on Ichigo's face was enough to keep her quiet. She looked all around her but couldn't spot any of the guys from before or any that looked slightly suspicious. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Ichigo stopped at a small white house on the edge of town and beat on it.

After a moment the door opened to reveal an older man with blond hair wearing robes, a white and green striped hat, and holding a small fan. Rukia raised an eyebrow at the man's appearance but remained silent.

"Urahara," Ichigo greeted. The man named Urahara grinned largely and stepped aside so they could enter.

"Ichigo! How nice to see you again. And who might this be?" Urahara closed the door behind them and smiled.

"This is Rukia Kuchiki," Ichigo told him, "Midget, this is Kisuke Urahara." Rukia glared at him. Even when he was being serious, Ichigo still had time to insult her.

"Ah, I see," Kisuke said, nodding at Rukia, "I knew your brother in college. Yep, I taught him." Rukia raised an eyebrow.

"How old are you?" she asked. Urahara chuckled and wiggled a finger at her.

"Now, now, let's not get into that," he said, "Is there something you want, Ichigo? You look like you're constipated." Rukia giggled as Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I'm Rukia's body guard and she's in trouble," Ichigo said, "We know the names of some of the guys who are after her and I was hoping you could give us some information." Urahara chuckled again.

"You certainly came to the right place," he replied before turning and calling, "Yoruichi my kitty! Where are you? We have some visitors!" A woman appeared from another room, and Rukia caught her breath. She was gorgeous, with dark, smooth skin and purple hair tied in a high pony tail. Her body was slim and lithe like a cat's, and she had amazing golden eyes.

"You called?" she asked in a smooth, calm voice. Urahara grinned and turned to Rukia.

"Yoruichi, this is Rukia Kuchiki. You remember her brother, right? Of course I doubt you could forget. Anyway, Rukia, this is Yoruichi Shihōin." Rukia looked at Yoruichi in surprise.

"You knew my brother?" A faint blush formed on Yoruichi's cheeks.

"You could say that," she murmured. Urahara's grin widened.

"Yep! You see, Yoruichi here had quite a crush on your brother in high school, and when she started working at my shop right across the street from the college he was attending, Yoruichi could barely hold in her excitement!" Yoruichi growled and punched Urahara in the face, sending him flying. Her face was starting to turn back to its normal color when she turned to Rukia and smiled.

"Yes, I knew your brother," she said, "We talked a bit but he was always with your sister. He was completely in love. I have to admit I was a bit heart broken, but it was for the best. After all they're married now, right?" Urahara was picking himself off the floor now and joined them, nursing a bruised cheek.

"A bit?" he asked, "You were completely devastated! He'd walk by you with her and your eyes would fill with tears, and when you found out they got married you cried for weeks and—" He was cut off by another fist in the face. Yoruichi glared at his whimpering form before turning back to Ichigo and Rukia and smiling like nothing had happened.

"Well, come on then, I'll see what I can find for you." They allowed Yoruichi to lead them through another hallway, leaving Urahara on his own. Rukia grabbed Ichigo's shirt collar and brought his head down so she could whisper in his ear.

"Why the hell are we here?" she asked, "These people are freaking psycho!" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I know, they're an old friend of the family's," he explained, "but we need to get information on the guys after you so we know what we're dealing with." Rukia sighed.

Yoruichi glanced over her shoulder and a smirk grew on her lips before she called out, "You two look so cute whispering back there to each other, but you should know that I can hear you. And don't ever put me in the same boat as Urahara, he's way more psycho than I am." The two behind her blushed and pulled away from each other. Yoruichi saw this over her shoulder and grinned. This new girl might just make things more interesting.

She led them down a set of old stairs down into the basement. In the left corner was an office with a small computer, and everywhere else there were weapons. Rukia's eyes widened at how many different guns, knifes, swords, and other dangerous weapons lined the walls and filled the tables. Yoruichi noticed this and smiled.

"You like our collection?" she asked, "Don't worry; we're not killers or anything. We just like to be prepared. Also we supply all of the body guards we send out." Rukia's eyebrows shot up.

"You're the ones that sent Ichigo?" Yoruichi nodded and gave her a cat-like grin.

"When we heard Byakuya needed a body guard for his little sister, we thought we should send someone a little closer to us, someone we could trust," she told her.

"But sadly, we had to settle for Ichigo here." Rukia jumped a mile high as Urahara seemed to appear out of nowhere. Ichigo growled at him.

"Shut up, hat n' clogs," he muttered, "and stop popping up places. You almost gave the midget a heart attack."

"I've been here the whole time," Urahara told him, but no one heard him over the shouting that had started between Ichigo and Rukia.

"Damnit midget, stop kicking me!" he shouted.

"I'll stop kicking you when you stop calling me midget, damn strawberry!" she retorted, kicking him again.

"Midget!" *kick*

"Strawberry!"

"Ow! Damnit, midget!" *kick*

"Dumb ass sasquatch!"

"Screw you, dwarf!"

"Shut up, you asshole!" she shouted, kicking him yet again.

"Ow! What the hell was that for? I didn't call you a midget!"

"A dwarf is the same thing, you idiot!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!

"Is not!"

"Is too!" On the sidelines Yoruichi and Urahara watched them. Yoruichi chuckled.

"I think Ichigo finally met his match," she said, making Urahara laugh.

"I think he has," he said, "We should probably break them up, eh?" Yoruichi nodded and brought two fingers to her mouth. A loud, shrill whistle flew through the air, cutting through the two bickering pair's argument.

"You two can bicker on your old rockers later," Urahara said, ignoring the glare he got from both persons, "Now would you like to remind me why you are here?" Ichigo snapped back to reality then and answered.

"Right, we need to know everything we can about the people that are after the midg- Rukia. We know the names of some of them, but I don't know who they're working for or why they want her." Urahara nodded and sat at the computer, typing in something. A blank bar came up where he put his cursor before turning to Ichigo again.

"Give me one of the names," he ordered.

"Gin Ichimaru." The room grew tense and Urahara and Yoruichi exchanged a glance. Ichigo frowned at their reaction.

"What's wrong? Do you know him?" he asked. Urahara shook his head as he typed the name into the bar.

"I heard it a long time ago," he answered, "I don't even remember when it was, but saw on the news that three bodies turned up dead and there was a warrant out for his arrest. They had his picture on there, a guy with silver hair and a creepy smile." Rukia nodded.

"That's him." On the computer screen in front of Urahara a long worksheet appeared with different things written on it.

"This is his record sheet," Urahara explained, "If you know the name of the person you're after or who's after you, we can simply type it in and see if they have a criminal record. If they do, we can tell you their birthday, their real or full name, and any criminal offense they've done and been charged for. If not, well, you're out of luck."

"What does it say?" Ichigo asked urgently. Urahara's eyes scanned over the screen as he spoke.

"Time of birth is…. Not applicable? What the hell…. Age, not applicable… birthplace, not applicable… He's only been charged for one crime when he was a teenager for torturing the neighbors' dog." Urahara sat back and whistled.

"I'm almost positive that he has done a lot more than just hurt a dog," he warned, "When he was younger it was probably small animals, you know, things that wouldn't really be missed if they disappeared. Then the dog was there… Now that he's older and he's more grown up he might have moved on to humans. Be careful with this one, Ichigo. If he gets his hands on either of you… all you'd have left to do it pray."

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><p><strong>There we go :) It was kinda long... o.O butttt ahh well :) umm... Hope you liked it! I really need to start working again on a lot of my projects... But thanks for reading, I love you guys :D anyways ^^ love ya,, bye!<strong>

Goose bumps arose along Rukia's arms and legs, and she had to force back the tears that came to her eyes. A man like that was coming after her? Why? She didn't want to end up like the neighbor's dog! She felt Ichigo's arm slide around her waist and pull her to his side. Rukia smiled up at him thankfully, trying to ignore the blush on her cheeks.

"Anyone else you wanted to search?" Urahara asked. Ichigo nodded and told him the other two guys. It was the same for the birth date, birthplace, and age on all of them. Grimmjow had been arrested several times for thieving, vandalism, DUI, and domestic violence. The third, Ulquiorra, had no record on file. Urahara turned to them.

"If you want any more information, you'll have to visit a friend of mine. Here's his address. Good luck, you two. I'm afraid you're gonna need it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey there guys :) So, if any of you have checked out my profile or other in-progress stories lately, I've been trying to clean up my stories list, because there are some that I haven't updated in a while and don't know if I will ever update them. I don't think it's fair to you guys to continue keeping a story on here if I'm not sure if I will ever finish it or not, so I've asked fans of my other stories to message me telling me what stories they would wish for me to keep on. Some I have just been in a rut with, others I may have lost interest in, I'm just trying to sort it out so I don't leave anyone hanging out there waiting for a chapter that may or may not ever come. But that's just a warning for anyone who has read any of my other stories. For now I plan to keep on writing Butterflies Suck and updating as frequently as I can, so yeah :) Anyways, now that that's over,**

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>Urahara dropped Ichigo and Rukia off at Ichigo's apartment. It had been quiet during the care ride other than Urahara cutting in every once in a while to say something random like "did you see that TV commercial with the pineapple? No? Oh yeah, that was a dream…" and "I hate pie." Ichigo and Rukia went into his apartment quietly, a heavy silence weighing down on their shoulders. Rukia stood in the kitchen leaning back against the stove in a kind of trance while Ichigo hung his coat.<p>

"Are you alright?" he asked, noticing Rukia's silence. Getting no response, he frowned and called again.

"Oi, midget! You ok?" Again there was no answer and Ichigo felt his patience disappear. He approached her and leaned down so that he was only an inch away, forcing him to look at her. In her eyes Ichigo saw worry and fear and he felt his own soften.

"Rukia," he called softly. He only used her name when he knew she really needed to be comforted, and right now seemed like the perfect time. Rukia looked into his deep, concerned amber eyes and did something completely stupid; she leaned forward. Ichigo's eyes widened as Rukia came closer to him, her eyes starting to close. He felt his heart beat ten times faster and his breath came in short gasps. What the hell was going on? Did she know what she was doing, or was this something just to make her feel better out of fear?

Either way his body refused to move and soon Ichigo began to close in to meet her. Their lips lightly brushed each other when a harsh ringing sound erupted in the air. Both of them jumped apart, gasping. They stared at each other in shock until the sound came again and Rukia dug in her pocket for a phone, in which time Ichigo used to smack himself on the forehead and sigh.

"Hello?" Rukia answered.

_"Rukia Kuchiki."_ A shiver ran down Rukia's back.

"Who is this?" The voice on the other line chuckled.

_"No need to be scared, Rukia,_" the man's voice replied calmly.

"Who are you?" Rukia repeated. As the man responded she could hear the smile in his voice.

_"My name is Aizen. I will be seeing you soon, Rukia. I just wanted to give you a small warning; you'd best look out for who is closest to you; you don't know when one day, they might be gone."_ With that the line went dead and Rukia stood stalk still, not able to move. Ichigo frowned in concern as Rukia's eyes widened and her face turned paler than usual.

"Rukia?" he called worriedly, "Are you ok? Who was that?" Rukia turned towards him slowly.

"Aizen," she replied stiffly and somewhat robotically, "The one that's out to get me…" Ichigo's eyes hardened and he stepped forward.

"What did he say?" he demanded, "Tell me what happened." Rukia repeated everything that had been said in the conversation with perfect memory. Once she was done Ichigo cursed, pivoting on his heel and grabbing the car keys off the counter.

"C'mon," he ordered, grabbing the card Urahara had giving him off the counter, "We need to go now." When Rukia didn't move Ichigo stepped forward and grabbed her hand, dragging her behind him. They got out of the apartment and into the car quickly. As he started the car Ichigo glanced over at Rukia.

"Seat belt, midget." Suddenly Rukia snapped out of her trance and automatically complied before they were speeding away.

"Do you know where this guy is?" she asked. Ichigo held up the card Urahara had given them.

"It has his address on here. Put it into the GPS." Usually Rukia hated being ordered around, but now she just nodded and did what he said. It was silent as the GPS mapped out the directions and occasionally spoke for him to make a turn or take an exit. Ichigo glanced over at the unusually quiet Rukia nervously. He wanted to know if she was alright, but decided against asking her and remained silent.

In her seat, Rukia fidgeted. She scanned over the words again and again in her head of the conversation she had had with Aizen. She had definitely made a threat towards her friends and loved ones. But who? Rukia tried to shake these thoughts out of her head. Unfortunately, the one that misplaced it was the memory of what had happened previous to the call. Rukia felt her face get warm. Even now her lips felt as if they were missing something; they hungered for something else to be on them… She tried to ignore this. Why was she thinking about this now, anyway? One of her friends might be in danger, and she was getting all flushed over a kind- of kiss?

Soon they were on the main highway heading west, and the GPS showed that they weren't far off. After what seemed like eternity Ichigo stopped the car and he and Rukia stared up at the huge building before them. It was pretty much in the middle of nowhere and anyone might think that it was rundown if not for the cars parked beside it and the strange sounds coming from inside.

"C'mon," Ichigo said as they slipped out of the car, "Stay close to me, ok?" Rukia nodded and followed Ichigo towards the large building. The bodyguard felt uneasy looking at the place. Did Urahara give them the right address? Something about this place sent chills up his spine. Just then Ichigo remembered something Urahara had said while they were leaving.

"The scientist, Mayuri, may seem strange and a little unconventional," he warned, "but he knows his stuff. He'll be able to tell you anything and everything about the guys that are after you. Just show the card I gave you to the guys in front and they'll lead you to where you need to go."

Subconsciously Ichigo grabbed Rukia's hand as they got closer and pulled her closer behind him. They approached the door to see two guys standing on either side of it. One had short black hair and tattoos on his face, one including a sixty-nine. The other guy was big and burly and wore what resembled a wolf's mask. Ichigo flashed the card at them and the thinner one nodded.

"I'm Hisagi," he told them, "Follow me." The other man nodded before opening the door for them. Hisagi entered and Ichigo and Rukia followed closely. The door shut behind them and Hisagi walked ahead, not looking back to see if they were following. Ichigo was tense as he followed, still pulling Rukia behind him. He knew he should trust Urahara's judgment, but he couldn't help be a little on- edge in a creepy place like this. They walked down a long white hallway with a few doors to their sides.

No one ran into them as they continued down the seemingly endless hallway and finally arrived at a large door which Hisagi opened to reveal a long staircase. Ichigo and Rukia followed him down, Ichigo getting tenser and tenser the lower they went. Rukia was also starting to get worried, but forced herself to keep composed. Finally they reached another door and entered, Hisagi closing the door behind them.

They were in a large room easily the size of a football field. People in lab coats walked around holding test tubes and other strange things. On the wall across from them was a gigantic screen with a complicated- looking equation continuously being typed on it. Sitting in front of the computer typing away was a very strange-looking man that sent chills up and down Rukia's spine. Standing next to him was a woman with long purple hair tied in a low pony tail wearing a choker around her neck and no expression on her face.

"Sir," Hisagi called out, "These people are here to meet you. They're friends of Urahara's." The strange guy turned and observed them, a large grin on his face.

"Well, well, well," he said, "I am Professor Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Who are you, and what do you want?" Ichigo stepped forward.

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki," he introduced, "and this is Rukia Kuchiki. I was assigned to be her body guard and Urahara told us that you would be able to tell us more about the guys that are after her." Mayuri's grin widened.

"You have certainly come to the right place," he said, spinning back around to face the computer, "Now what information do you have so far on them?"

"We know their names, and Urahara told us their criminal record if they had one, but that's it," Ichigo explained.

"You know their names? Well then, this will be simple! Tell me the first name, boy."

"Gin Ichimaru." Mayuri typed the name into his computer and the screen started flowing with information. Mayuri put in some code and the picture of Gin popped up, along with pages of information.

"Here we are," Mayuri said, "What did you want to know?"

"Everything," Ichigo responded. Mayuri nodded and his eyes scanned the screen.

"Gin Ichimaru; was born in Germany in 1974 and moved here at the age of two. He got arrested once for torturing a neighbor's dog before getting bail. Apparently he skinned the dog alive before-"

"You can skip that part," Ichigo cut in, glancing at Rukia. Her eyes were wide and distant while her body started shaking. Mayuri simply nodded and went on.

"He was born an only child, his mother died from illness when he was six, his father committed suicide when he turned twelve. The day after his birthday he found his dad hanging from the tree in their backyard by his belt. Hmm… attended university, blah, blah, blah… Dropped out of college his second year and was recruited into a gang with a man name Aizen. After that his information is cut off. Someone hacked the system and deleted all of the records previously."

"Is there any information on this Aizen guy?" Ichigo asked. Mayuri clicked and typed a few things before shaking his head.

"No, nothing," he replied, seeming puzzled himself, "there are no records whatsoever of this 'Aizen' fellow, not even his last name." Ichigo sighed. Damn. Well, at least he still had the other guy's names.

"Alright then what can you tell me about Grimmjow Jeagerjacks?"

Mayuri continued to look up the names of the guys that had been with Gin. Grimmjow seemed like a normal delinquent until he, too, seemed to drop off the map. Ulquiorra was different. He had no criminal record at all and seemed like an average kid, although he was an orphan before he was adopted into a family as the only child. Ulquiorra finished graduating from college before the rest of his records were wiped away.

"Nemu!" Mayrui shouted at the girl standing next to him, "Get me the copies I printed out from the room now!" Nemu bowed before walking out of the room through a separate door. Mayuri turned to Ichigo and Rukia.

"I will give you copies of this information so that you will have it in case of future reference," he told them, then waved a finger at them, "You'd better count yourselves lucky that you're a friend of Urahara's, otherwise I might not be so generous. In the meantime I will continue to look at their records and search for the one called 'Aizen'. I will also look to see how it was their information has been deleted, if not from my own interest." Just then Nemu came back holding three folders with paper in them and handed them to Mayuri.

He snatched them away rudely and gave them to Ichigo.

"Here. Now get out so I can continue my research." Ichigo nodded and turned, grabbing Rukia's hand to pull her along. They followed Hisagi back up the stairs and through the hallway. Once outside again, Ichigo immediately headed for the car, Rukia in tow. Once they were in Ichigo placed the folders in the back seat and drove away.

"Man, that guy was creepy," he muttered. A 'hmm' came from the woman next to him and Ichigo frowned at her,

"Rukia," he said seriously, and Rukia turned to him. He looked her directly in the eye.

"You know I would never let anything happen to you, right?" he said. Rukia just gave him a sad look and turned away. Ichigo sighed but didn't push the subject further. They drove back towards Ichigo's apartment in silence until Ichigo's phone rang.

He looked at it and sighed when he saw 'Renji' on the caller ID.

"What do you want, pineapple?" he answered. Said person scoffed.

"Says you, Strawberry. Anyway, I was hanging out with Tatsuki and she said some girl named Momo came by her apartment looking for Rukia. She said it was important and seemed really worried." Ichigo glanced over at said midget.

"Yeah, I'll tell her. Yeah. Bye." He hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Your friend Momo is looking for you," he said. Rukia turned to him in surprise.

"What?"

"Renji said Tatsuki told him that Momo came by your apartment to see you," he explained, "Tatsuki said she looked worried, so you should probably call her." Rukia nodded.

"I left my phone at your house, so I'll call her when we get back," she murmured. Ichigo nodded in response and it was silent once again. Ichigo shifted uncomfortably. He actually missed the fighting and yelling. Silence with Rukia was usually comfortable, but he knew what was going through her mind, and he just wanted to make her forget about it and get her to yell at him again. There was no way anything was going to happen to Rukia while he was around.

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><p>They arrived back at the apartment and Rukia grabbed her phone while Ichigo sat at the island with the folders in hand. Rukia dialed Momo's number and held the phone to her ear. It was in the middle of the second ring when Momo picked up.<p>

"Rukia?"

"Yeah, hey Momo," Rukia greeted, "I heard you were looking for me. What did you need?"

"Yeah but Rukia? Are you ok?" Rukia didn't even hesitate.

"Of course, Momo. I'm just a little tired. Was there something you wanted?" Rukia felt slightly bad for lying to her friend, but there was no way she was telling her about what had happened. The words Aizen had said echoed in her head and she shivered. There was no way she was going to drag any of her friends into this mess. It was already bad enough Ichigo was in it…

"Well alright," Momo answered on the other line, still sounding unsure. She could usually tell when Rukia was lying.

"Anyway, you know how I've been dating Toshiro for a really long time?"

"Yeah…? What about him?" Rukia had met Momo's boyfriend a couple times, and he seemed like an alright guy. He was a little on the cold and short side, but he seemed to really love Momo.

"Well…. He asked me to marry him!" Momo squealed. Rukia gasped and smiled.

"Momo, that's great! Congratulations!" Momo continued to squeal on the other end and Rukia laughed.

"Oh," Momo cut in, "I forgot to tell you, Orihime called me and asked me where you were. I think she tried to call you. You should probably call her."

"Alright, I'll do it right now," Rukia said, "Congratulations again, Momo." After a few more excited squeals and goodbyes Rukia hung up and started dialing a different number. She called Orihime but she didn't answer, and Rukia frowned. Finally she gave up and went to the island where Ichigo still sat, his eyes scanning over the papers in front of him.

"What do you think is the deal with these guys?" Rukia asked. Ichigo was slightly surprised at the calmness of her voice, but then again he wasn't; Rukia was strong, she wouldn't break easily. Ichigo sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know, but I'm planning on finding out," he told her. Rukia snorted, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her.

"You sound like one of those serious guys from those stupid cop movies," she told him. Ichigo rolled his eyes at her.

"Better than being Chappy the Rabbit…."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"

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><p>That night Ichigo sat in the living room at the coffee table, bent over the papers Mayuri had given him. He ran a hand through is hair agitatedly as he tried to blink the tiredness out of his eyes. This was starting to piss him off. Nothing in these papers seemed to give him any clue on who Aizen was or where they were. Finally he sighed and stood, walking into the kitchen to get a drink.<p>

As he closed the refrigerator door, Rukia stepped into the kitchen, her silk robe tied around her.

"Hey," she greeted, "What are you still doing out here?" Ichigo shrugged.

"Just going over the papers," he replied, grabbing a glass from the cabinet and setting it on the counter. Rukia shook her head at him as she stepped closer.

"You should get to bed, it's late. Hey, get me one." Ichigo grabbed another glass and set in on the counter in front of her.

"Same could be said for you," he told her, "Why are you up, anyway?" Rukia simply shrugged and Ichigo knew she wouldn't tell him. Ichigo sighed and looked her in the eye.

"Rukia, I won't let anything happen to you," he told her. Rukia's eyes slipped away from his as she nodded. Ichigo grabbed her chin and leaned forward, forcing her to look at him.

"Believe me, Rukia," he said. When Rukia again started to look away, Ichigo did the only thing he could think to do for getting his point across; he closed the distance between them and caught her lips in a searing kiss. Rukia gasped, giving him the opportunity to deepen the kiss. After a moment Rukia found herself kissing him back, clinging to the front of his shirt as her knees went weak.

Ichigo wrapped one arm around her while the other framed her face, his fingers getting tangled in her hair. Rukia tilted her head to deepen the kiss and pressed her body closer to his. Suddenly Rukia pulled away, letting go of his shirt and backing away. They stood in silence for a moment, trying to catch their breath. Ichigo watched Rukia carefully as her chest rose and fell rapidly and a flurry of emotions flitting through her eyes, the one most current being confusion.

She looked at him with her large, pretty indigo eyes. Rukia examined Ichigo carefully; his breathing was slightly more labored than usual, and he was examining her with careful eyes, as if wondering and worrying about what she was going to do next.

"You should go to bed soon," she muttered finally. Ichigo nodded, though he felt slightly disappointed as Rukia turned and disappeared into his room. Ichigo sighed and ran a hand over his face. Why the hell did he have to make things complicated?

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><p>In the morning, Rukia awoke after a restless night of strawberry- filled dreams. She couldn't get what had happened out of her head. What now? Things were even more complicated than before! Suddenly she looked around and noticed Ichigo wasn't there with her. In fact, she couldn't remember him coming into the room at all last night. She exited the bedroom and peeked into the living room. As expected, Ichigo lay sprawled out on the couch, papers spread on his stomach, floor, and coffee table.<p>

Rukia shook her head and felt the tug of a smile on her lips. She walked into the kitchen and spotted her phone on the counter. Picking it up, Rukia spotted one missed call from Orihime. Frowning, she dialed the number and held in to her ear.

"Rukia?"

"Hey Orihime.

"Oh Rukia, I had something I wanted to tell you!"

"Yeah? What is it, Orihime?" she asked, smiling at her friend's childish excitement.

"I met a really, really good guy! He's kind of icy at first, but if you get past his rough edges he's actually a really great guy!" Rukia shook her head, still smiling.

"That's great, Orihime. What's his name?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, his name? Ulquiorra Schiffer."

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><p><strong>:O DUN DUN DUN! A new development! Orihime is with the enemy? Does this have anything to do with what Aizen told her? Do I sound like a crappy book commercial? Anyways, hope you liked it! No need to fear, I am still very interested in this story and plan on continuing it :) but still, reviews and suggestions are very much appreciated! See yas,,,,,,, bye! :D :D :D<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey hey :) sooo sorry guys I've been trying to fix my other stories and sort them out, and I've been busy with this thing... Ughhhh O butt anyways... enough about my little issues :) Hope you guys like it! This one I think is a bit shorter, maybe longer, I don't freaking remember _ Butttt soon the story will get a tad bit dramatic and... yeah ;) Soo... Thank you for waiting, sorry, don't kill me! ^^" and,**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Orihime had never been kidnapped in her life. She had always watched TV shows and movies where it happened and seen how the victims had come up with a miraculous escape or had been saved by an awesome hero, but she had never felt the true terror the victim's had until now. Orihime walked down plain white halls with her head bowed, four men on each of her sides, boxing her in. In front of her was a creepy man named Gin or something. Orihime had had an instant dislike for him, and usually she liked everyone.<p>

To her left was a blue haired man named Grimmjow who was quite good looking but had a dangerous look in his eyes, and behind her was a dark blind man named Tousen, though Orihime got the feeling he could stop her easily if she tried to escape. Finally, to her right, looking straight ahead and not seeming to care about anything, was the man that had brought her here, Ulquiorra Schiffer.

When Orihime had first met him, he had seemed icy and unfeeling like he did now, but something about him had intrigued her. Her interest and his tricks were what had brought her here in the first place. Orihime tried to keep her panic down as they continued down the hall in silence, their footsteps reverberating off the wall into the empty air. To make matters worse, she had left her phone at home after calling Rukia to tell her 'what a great guy Ulquiorra was' and hadn't told anyone where she had been planning on going, not that they were at the same place Ulquiorra had told her they had been going, anyway.

Orihime glanced at Ulquiorra now, his unfeeling face pointing straight ahead and his pale, slender hands dug deep in his pockets. She never really knew anyone could be as cruel as he was. Even though she knew she was right, Orihime didn't like calling anyone this.

"I think you've got an admirer, Ulquiorra." The rough voice of the blue haired man Grimmjow reached her ears and Orihime turned to him in surprise. He grinned and Orihime blushed; he had caught her staring. Ulquiorra's green eyes slid to Orihime for a moment before turning back, his face remaining the same and not a word spoken from his mouth. Orihime let out a silent breath in relief and kept her head down, determining not to be caught staring at anyone again. She heard Grimmjow chuckle beside her.

"Maybe you were a bit too nice to her, eh, Ulquiorra?" he called with a slanted grin, "Maybe Ulqui here has got himself a girlfriend." Gin glanced back at them with that creepy smile of his while Ulquiorra remained silent.

"Ulquiorra having a girlfriend?" he asked, "I think the world would end before that happened." Grimmjow laughed.

"Yeah, he's colder than a block 'o ice! No way any girl wants an unfeeling ice cube as a dude!" Orihime, her face warm, glanced at Ulquiorra to see his reaction to what Grimmjow was saying. He still did not say anything and continued to look forward, but Orihime could have sworn she spotted a slightly annoyed or even angry look in his eyes. Realizing she was staring again, Orihime tore her eyes away and stared at the ground in front of her, trying to block out the jibes Grimmjow was sending to the stoic Ulquiorra. Was anyone going to save her? Maybe Rukia could ask Ichigo to try and help her? Then again, why would she?

Orihime pushed back the tears that came to her eyes.

_Whoever it is, please help me!_

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><p>Rukia was freaking out. She paced back and forth in her living room furiously, shaking her head and muttering to herself. It had been two hours since she and Ichigo had filed the missing person's report and told Tatsuki and the others what was going on. Tatsuki had gone ballistic and now sat on Ichigo's couch, frowning and looking off into the distance. Ichigo was in the kitchen on the phone with Urahara while Rukia reviewed what she and Orihime's conversation had been before she had gone missing.<p>

"_Oh Rukia, I have something I want to tell you!"_

"_Yeah? What is it, Orihime?" Rukia asked, smiling at her friend's childish excitement._

"_I met a really, really good guy! He's kind of icy at first, but if you get past his rough edges he's actually a really great guy!" Rukia shook her head, still smiling._

"_That's great, Orihime. What's his name?"_

"_Hmm? Oh yeah, his name? Ulquiorra Schiffer." Rukia felt a shiver run down her back and she immediately started to sweat, her hands going clammy._

"_Orihime, where is he now?" Rukia asked in a low voice._

"_Well, he's right here, why?" Orihime seemed confused at her friend's sudden change in mood. Rukia was shaking now._

"_Orihime, listen to me, you can't—"_

"_Oh, sorry Rukia I have to go, Ulquiorra wants to show me something. I'll call you later, ok? Bye!"_

"_No! Wait, Orihime—" But it was too late; Orihime had already hung up. Rukia slammed the phone down and turned to Ichigo, who was still asleep on the couch._

"_ICHIGO!" she shouted, grabbing her keys off of the counter and shoving him off the couch, "GET YOU'RE ASS UP! WE HAVE TO GO SEE ORIHIME!"_

While she was driving Rukia had explained what was going on to Ichigo, who immediately turned grim. After that they checked her apartment but found it empty without any traces of the girl. They called her cell phone but ended up finding it on the kitchen counter where Orihime must have set it after she got off the phone with Rukia, which Rukia explained that Orihime forgot things a lot.

After that Rukia called all of her friends to see if they had seen Orihime, and when all of them said no she and Ichigo met Tatsuki at the police station to explain what had happened. In the kitchen Ichigo sighed and hung up the phone. He came back into the living room and both women turned to him.

"Urahara's said he's got some men working on it," Ichigo explained, running a hand through his messy orange locks, "He also says Professor Mayuri is working on finding more information about Ulquiorra and this Aizen guy to try to find out where they might be. The police are also searching for Orihime and both her and Ulquiorra's pictures have been posted everywhere. For now, we just have to wait." Ichigo finished with a slight shrug. Tatsuki's fists clenched as she stood up.

"I can't just wait on the side lines while my best friend was fucking kidnapped!" she growled, "Who knows what could happen to her?" Ichigo sighed, running his hand through his hair yet again for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Rukia had noticed that this was a habit Ichigo had when he got worried or agitated.

"I know, none of us like it either, but there's nothing else we can do but keep a lookout for her or Ulquiorra," he told her gently. Tatsuki sighed. Both Rukia and Ichigo could see it was hurting her, but they knew Tatsuki was strong.

"I'm going back to my apartment," she murmured to Rukia, who nodded. Tatsuki hugged her and Ichigo before tossing a goodbye and leaving. Rukia sighed and fell onto the couch, Ichigo sitting beside her.

"This is all my fault," Rukia muttered. Ichigo shook her head, looking at the small woman next to him.

"No it's not, Rukia," he told her seriously, "You had nothing to do with this." Rukia shook her head, tears rising in her eyes.

"Orihime, innocent Orihime, was kidnapped because of _me_," she sobbed. Ichigo wrapped an arm around her tiny frame and brought her to his chest, Rukia clinging to his shirt while she cried.

"Sh," Ichigo hushed, "It's not you're fault, Rukia. None of this is your fault. We'll find her, Rukia. We'll find her and it will be just fine, I promise." Rukia looked up at him through watery eyes.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Ichigo," she advised softly. Ichigo held her chin lightly so that she was level with his face.

"I never do," he told her just as softly. Fresh tears came to her eyes and she leaned forward and hugged him. Ichigo brought the small woman to his chest, letting her bury her face in his neck.

"Thank you," Rukia murmured into his neck, and Ichigo slightly smiled. They stayed like that for who knows how long until there was a knock on the door. Rukia pulled away and started wiping her eyes while Ichigo got up and opened the door to reveal two cops, one with blue hair down to his chin and peacock feathers on one eye and a bald one with pink eye shadow on. Ichigo raised an eyebrow but otherwise kept silent about their strange appearances.

"Hello, I'm Ikkaku and this is Yummichika," the bald one stated, the peacock one nodding at his name being said, "We're here to discuss the kidnapping case." Ichigo nodded and stepped aside to let the men in.

"Sure, come right in…"

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><p>Orihime had been thrown into a small white cell with only an iron bed and small table. On the opposite wall of the locked door was a tall window, but it was too high to climb to, and from what Orihime could remember when coming here, she was on either the third or fourth floor. The others had left her, Grimmjow saying something about someone bringing her food later. Orihime didn't care about that, though; what did they need from her? What were they going to do?<p>

Her skin crawled at the thought of what kidnappers usually did to their victims and subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself tightly. Was she really doomed, then? Was there no chance of her getting out? By now her friends would have noticed she was missing since Orihime hadn't called them in hours and it was starting to turn dark outside. What did they think happened to her? Did they suspect she got kidnapped? Now that she thought about it, Rukia _had _sounded a little worried after Orihime had told her Ulquiorra's name. Did she know him? Maybe he was some serial killer or kidnapper, though despite his icy nature, he didn't seem the type.

Just then the door opened and Orihime felt a shiver of fear. She turned slowly to see Ulquiorra standing there as another man pushed a cart of food in and scurried out, leaving her and Ulquiorra alone. Orihime felt herself sweating and avoided looking into Ulquiorra's probing yet gorgeous green eyes.

"Eat, woman." His voice reached her ears calmly, with no sense of lecherous intent in them. Orihime relaxed a bit, though she did not move from her spot. Ulquiorra seemed to know exactly what she was thinking by what he said next.

"I am not going to touch you, woman," he stated, "Now eat otherwise I will have to tie you down and force the food down your throat." Orihime jumped a bit at this, looking at Ulquiorra in surprise before stepping forward and starting to eat. There was only a piece of dry bread, water, and a bowl of something slimy. Orihime tried not to make a face as she ate the disgusting food. It certainly didn't match up to her Jelly-Bean Onion Dip Bean-Paste Banana Pudding Pie. Ulquiorra kept his eyes trained on her the entire time, unnerving her and making her blush.

Once she was finished the other man entered again to take the cart away. Ulquiorra followed behind him and shut the door behind them, and Orihime heard the click of the lock. She sighed and once again had to force the tears away. _What was going on?_

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><p>Rukia rubbed her eyes and sighed. It was pretty dark outside and she was pretty tired from all of the things that had gone on today. Ikkaku and Yummichika hadn't left until nine o' clock, and at that moment Rukia was sick of dealing with people. All except one, that is. Ichigo sighed and plopped down next to her on the couch, rubbing one eye with his hand. Rukia could see how tired he was from the bags under his eyes and how disheveled his hair had become.<p>

"Damnit, Yoruichi talks a lot," Ichigo muttered, stifling a yawn before going on, "She said they still haven't found anything. You were the last person Orihime talked to, and since she didn't mention where she was going and there was no evidence at her apartment, they have no leads of to where to start looking for her. They looked up Ulquiorra's apartment building but the whole place was deserted; it hadn't been used in years. Most of the tenants didn't even know who he was, and the others didn't have any clue of where he could be since he apparently kept to himself so much."

Rukia sighed and gazed at her feet, her arms wrapped around her legs which were pulled to her chest and her chin resting on her knees.

"I hope she's alright…" she muttered, "I still can't help thinking it's all my fault…" Ichigo shook his head.

"None of it's your fault, Rukia," he told her seriously, looking her straight in the eye. Staring into his warm amber eyes, Rukia remembered the night before and blushed. Why had she done that? More than that, why had she _liked _it so much? Even now, Rukia felt a need to close the distance, to close any distance between them, to completely merge herself with him. Why, when she hadn't even known him that long?

Ichigo was wondering the same thing. As Rukia gazed at him with a glazed over expression, he was observing her and thinking of last night. The kiss had come out of nowhere; Ichigo had just wanted her to believe in what he was saying. But then she kissed back, and he had found himself wanting _all_ of her. Even now, he felt the need to take her in his arms and completely consume her. But he couldn't… right? From the look on Rukia's face, she was thinking the same thing. So did she want him to? She couldn't possibly, right?

Finally Rukia blushed and looked away, realizing that she had been staring. She felt the weight on the couch shift and suddenly Ichigo was holding her face with one hand and pressing his rough lips to hers. Rukia's breath hitched, but this time she didn't hesitate to close her eyes and kiss him back.

Ichigo was surprised when Rukia kissed him back, but thrilled all the less. He nibbled on her bottom lip and she parted them, their tongues automatically warring. Rukia released her arms around her legs and instead wrapped them around his neck, and suddenly he had her back on the couch, pinned underneath his own body. Their legs lay tangled as they continued to kiss, Rukia tilting her head to deepen the kiss and pushing slightly closer to Ichigo's body. Ichigo pressed even closer to her without crushing her under all of his body weight.

His right arm held him up by Rukia's head while his other hand roamed her body. Rukia felt Ichigo's hand running up and down her curves, but didn't push him off or tell him to stop. Instead she grabbed it and placed it on her left breast. Rukia gasped as Ichigo tightened his grip, and suddenly Ichigo pulled away. For a moment she was worried she had done something wrong when suddenly Ichigo looked up at her with concerned yet lust- filled eyes. Rukia nodded to the unasked question and Ichigo nodded back, picking her up bridal- style. She felt anticipation and excitement building as Ichigo carried her into his room, closing the door behind him and placing her carefully on the bed.

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><p><strong>Ooh la la ;) Well I gotta go, hope you liked it, review and stuffs, bye!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, back :) Umm... yeah, so it's been a while... Sorry. I've had some personal stuff that was distracting me... I expected this to be uploaded a lot sooner, so I'm sorry, I know you guys are starting to get impatient with me, and believe me, I would too :P But umm... So yeah! This chapter was also shorter than I expected/wanted it to be, but I think it will be fine... Things are about to gain a little momentum here, as things get a bit more serious! :O Anyhoosers...**

**Enjoy!  
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><p>Rukia's eyes flitted open slowly, not yet wanting to wake up. She was welcomed by the sight of Ichigo's peaceful, sleeping face, and all of the memories last night flooded back. She remembered him carrying her to his room and placing her on the bed. Rukia remembered him asking if she was sure, and her saying yes just before he practically ripped off her clothes, which were still strewn across the room. Blushing, she remembered how rough yet sweet he had been, and how she had completely lost herself with him.<p>

It was like she had been drunk without any of the bad sides. He was easily the best she had had, though Rukia would never tell the strawberry that. It would definitely go to his head. Suddenly she remembered everything else and frowned. Orihime was still missing. This thought made her shoot up straight in bed, breaking out of Ichigo's arms. He groaned in complaint and wrapped an arm around her waist, making her smirk and shake her head. Then she went back to thinking what she had been to make Ichigo react in the first place.

Orihime was still missing, because of her, having god knows what being done to her, and here she was snuggling with a guy as if nothing had happened. Rukia's face burned with shame and she placed her face in her hands, trying to force the angry tears back.

Ichigo was in heaven. He felt Rukia sit up in his arms and groaned, trying to pull her closer. He slowly blinked his eyes open, remembering everything last night. How beautiful she had looked, how soft her skin was… Ichigo rolled over on his back and raised himself up on his elbows. He frowned to see Rukia's face buried in her hands, the sheet only covering her front. Ichigo sat all the way up and placed a hand lightly on her back, making her jump.

"Rukia?" She shook her head, and his frown deepened.

"Rukia…" Finally the woman pulled her hands away from her face and he raised her head so that she had to look at him. Her eyes were filled with angry tears and guilt, and after a second of confusion he knew what had happened. His eyes softened and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting her place her head on his chest.

"It wasn't your fault, Rukia. We'll find her, you'll see." Rukia shook her head and pulled away, staring at her lap.

"But… It's just, it was my fault, and then with you, while she's out there." A hurt look crossed Ichigo's face and he pulled his arm away. Rukia realized her mistake as he began to stand.

"No, Ichigo, I didn't mean it like that-" Ichigo shook his head and Rukia sighed into her lap as he got dressed and left. Rukia forced her tears back, drawing her knees up and resting her forehead on them, trying to collect herself.

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><p>Ichigo ran a hand through his hair, sitting on the couch and staring blankly at the papers in front of him. He knew he would probably get fired if people found out; he was never supposed to get close to a client, especially this close. But somehow, he found it very hard to regret it. After a while the bedroom door opened and Rukia slowly walked in, coming to stand in front of him, now in her nightgown and robe. Her eyes were red and she wouldn't meet his.<p>

"Sorry," she muttered, swallowing her pride, "I… didn't mean it like that." Ichigo shook his head and took her hands, pulling her closer.

"I know," he said quietly, "But you need to quit blaming yourself." Rukia shook her head this time and glared at him.

"But it's my fault," she snapped, "It's so obvious that it is!" Ichigo glared back at her.

"No, it's not! Look, those guys will do anything to get what they want. They decided to take Orihime, it was not your choice!"

"But they're after me! That's why they took her-to get to me!"

"Rukia, they could have been trying to get to any one of Orihime's friends, it could have been anyone-"

"But it wasn't!" Rukia finally shouted, tears spilling out of her shiny indigo eyes, "I was me!" Ichigo's amber eyes bore into hers, and she got lost in them.

"Rukia," he called softly. She shook her head again and he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. He pulled her to sit sideways in his lap, and she rested her head on his chest as he stroked her hair.

"I just want her to be ok," she whispered thickly, tears wetting her face and his shirt. Ichigo brushed a few of her tears away.

"I know, and she will be. I promise, we'll do everything we can." Rukia nodded and looked up at him. Indigo pools met amber orbs, and she pulled his shirt down to kiss him. He kissed back, on hand going to hold the side of her face as she clutched the front of his t-shirt. The kiss was beginning to get heated when suddenly there was a knock on the door and the two jumped apart. Rukia shifted onto the couch and off of Ichigo that he could stand, and he ran a hand through his bright hair before crossing over to the door and looking through the peep hole first. Once he did, he sighed and opened the door to reveal Renji.

"What is it, Renji?" His friend looked like crap; his red hair was tied into a messy pony tail on top of his head, and his dark eyes were clouded with worry, his eyebrows drawn in. Ichigo immediately frowned and stepped aside so that Renji could enter.

"Renji, what's wrong?" Renji pushed past him and his and Rukia's surprised eyes caught as Ichigo closed the door. The two watched him expectantly, and he took a deep breath.

"It's Tatsuki. We can't find her."

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><p>Orihime jumped a mile at the small knocking sound on the door. All night, she hadn't gone to sleep, and her eyelids drooped. Now, though, she kept them wide open as the door cracked, revealing a dull white light. It was pushed open even more to reveal a small man pushing the same metal cart as before, carrying the exact same plate of food as before, followed by Ulquiorra. The man wheeled the cart over to her, making her shift away, before exiting, leaving the two alone once again. Orihime swallowed her nerves, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.<p>

"Eat, woman." Orihime jumped again, and moved over to the cart slowly, picking up her plastic fork. As she began to force the gross slime down her throat, she glanced out of Ulquiorra out of the corner of her eye. His hair was still neat and jet-black as it had always been, his emerald green eyes staring intently at the wall across from him, though she could have no idea what he was thinking about. Unlike before, he was wearing strange white slacks and a white jacket that had thin black stripes on either side of his chest. Orihime took another disgusting bite of whatever she was eating and forced it down before speaking in a smaller voice than she'd intended.

"What… What do you want from me?" Ulquiorra's eyes flickered to her, causing Orihime to momentarily lose her breath.

"Lord Aizen shall explain his plan to you in short on his own. I have not been given ideals on what should and should not be shared with you, thus I am not open to reveal anything." Orihime's eyebrows knitted together worriedly.

"W-Who's Aizen?" Ulquiorra continued to watch her blankly, though if she looked extremely close, she could almost see his eyes narrow a bit. Almost.

"You will find out soon, as he has requested your presence in a few hours to discuss with you his plan. You will be obedient and subdued to, from, and throughout the meeting, you must not speak out of turn, or even think that you could ever escape. Understand?" Orihime felt as if she were a little kid being explained classroom rules by a kindergarten teacher, but nonetheless, she nodded. Finishing off the last of the disgusting bile, she set down her plastic fork carefully.

"Why me?" she asked, looking directly into those beautiful, startling emerald eyes of the man she'd previously though of as almost a friend, now her kidnapper, "Why did you do this to me?" Just then the door opened, and the man from before came in for the cart. Ulquiorra didn't so much as look at him as he held his gaze with Orihime, making her face heat up.

"It is of no consequence to you, or mine. It was what Lord Aizen has commanded, so it has happened. You have two hours until your meeting with him." The man with disappeared with the cart from the door, and Ulquiorra turned to leave when he stopped, his hand on the door handle. He turned his head slightly over his shoulder.

"And I advise you to begin sleeping, otherwise we will provide sedatives. Whatever Lord Aizen's wishes for you are, you must be in healthy condition." The door closed and her captor disappeared. Worry ate at her heart and stomach, churning the vile mush she'd previously swallowed down. Orihime brough her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them compactly. She tried to calm her breathing as tears crowded the edges of her eyes. _What was going to happen? Someone… Help me…_

Rukia shot up like a bullet.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Renji ran a hand over his hair nervously, his face lined with worry.

"I went to her apartment, I've called her friends, no one's seen her since yesterday. After she went home from seeing you guys, she texted me saying not to wait up, and I called her, but there was no answer. I went by her apartment, and her phone was on the bed, and there are half of her clothes missing from her drawers," he quickly explained, his voice turning higher in panic.

"Are you positive?" Ichigo asked, keeping calm, "Who all did you call? Did you check anywhere else she might be?" As they continued to converse, Rukia stared at the ground with huge eyes, her hands shaking. Another one. Did they get another one? She pictured Orihime, scared and alone in a dark cell somewhere, cruel men like Gin yelling and sneering cruel things at her, and then Tatsuki being tossed in beside her, both of them lonely and scared…

"… Rukia?" Rukia was only brought out of her thoughts to meet the concerned gazes of both bright-haired men. Ichigo's eyes held concern as well as understanding. He looked at Renji.

"Call 911. I'll get Urahara on the line in the second." Renji nodded obediently, his eyes kind of glazed as he moved away, digging his hand into his pocket and dialing the number robotically. Ichigo moved quickly to stand in front of Rukia, the young woman refusing to meet his eyes.

"Rukia." The woman raised her head slowly, her large, indigo eyes meeting his painfully. He watched her, searching those beautiful eyes before nodding a bit.

"I need to call Urahara. Do you want to let your brother know what's happening, or should I?" Rukia swallowed, a small amount of fear sparking in her eyes before it wore away, and her eyes hardened a bit as her small lips set in a straight, grim line.

"I'll do it." Ichigo nodded, and placed a finger under her chin to tilt her head up and giving her a small chaste kiss on the forehead before moving away, disappearing into the kitchen. Rukia watched him before turning to see Renji looking at her, an eyebrow raised. Rukia's face heated up, and he gave her a small smirk before she scowled and looked away. Her gaze landed on her purse, sitting innocently on the table, holding her phone which currently burned a hole in the blue fabric. Rukia took a deep breath before reaching out for it, picturing her brother's angry face as she told him everything.

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><p>Orihime's eyes still ached when she was forced awake by a sharp knock on the door. She lifted herself up quickly as the door swung open and Ulquiorra stood there once again, his hands in his pockets as his green eyes appraised her blankly.<p>

"It's time."

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><p>The shadows covered over everything, cloaking even the slightest of movements. From this vantage point, anyone looking it would simply see blackness, but whoever was inside could watch everyone scurrying about.<p>

From the shadows her eyes searched, letting nothing reach out of her sight, every event and person cataloging into her memory the moment her eyes wrested on them. She shifted the pack on her shoulder and brushed her fingers over the cool metal of the gun strapped to her hip. _I'll save you, Orihime,_ Tatsuki swore, _Just hang on._

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><p><em><em>**:O What? What's Tatsuki up to? What will Byakuya do once he finds out about everything? What does this Aizen guy want with Orihime, and what will she do about it? ... I can't really think of any more questions XD Anyhows, I hope you liked it! Please, send suggestions and things, and don't forget to review! It helps to encourage me a lot :) But yeah, I have been busy and this week I will be especially busy, so I will try to work on it some more, but it may be around the weekend that I am even able to begin working on the next few ones... So until then, my friends :)  
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**(Oh PS; if any of you are a fan of Starkid and their musical Starship, I will love you forever if you make a story with Junior/Taz, because I would love to but since I have so many other stories that are pending right now, I don't want to hurt my fans by elaborating on the one-shot I have right now and leave the others out hanging :P soooo... yes :))  
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	9. Chapter 9

**Hey there! This chapter is really long! :D It's been a longgg time since I updated... yeah... buttt I hope you like it anyways ^^ There's a lot of stuff happening! We have complicated stuffs happening! Buttt yeah.. Hope you like it... ummm... ummm... yeah...**

**Enjoy!  
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><p>Orihime followed Ulquiorra down the hallway obediently, her stomach twisting in nerves. He had his hands clasped behind his back, not even glancing every so often to see if she was behind him. The halls were relatively empty, save a few younger-looking people all dressed in white. Every time they passed, these people bowed or raised a salute in Ulquiorra's direction, who didn't even spare them a glance. Orihime swallowed, tugging on the sleeves of her dress. It fit snug, and she was extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully, Grimmjow was nowhere to be seen, and soon Orihime plucked up enough courage to speak.<p>

"U-Ulquiorra?" His head turned slightly, and he glanced at her with those dazzling eyes.

"What?"

"Why does everyone bow to you?" Ulquiorra turned back to the front.

"I am held high in the eyes of Lord Aizen, and others are expected to act respectful to anyone who Lord Aizen favors." Orihime tilted her head as they past another young woman who bowed low as they passed, Ulquiorra still ignoring her.

"You don't think they actually respect you?"

"No."

"How come?"

"Onna, stop persisting with your ignorant questions. The answers are of no consequence to you." Orihime ducked her head at that, her face flushing.

"Sorry…" It was silent for a while. Just when Orihime was about to ask another question, Ulquiorra halted abruptly, almost causing her to run into his back.

"We are here." Fear seized her and Orihime swallowed as she stared at the huge white double doors. Ulquiorra stepped forward and grasped the handle, glancing back once at her with those emerald eyes before pulling the door open. Orihime held her breath.

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><p>"We have to get her."<p>

"I know."

"They won't find her in time. Tatsuki's probably found her by now."

"I know."

Rukia turned to Ichigo sharply.

"My brother's not going to let me go." He glanced at her.

"I know." Rukia scrutinized him.

"You don't think I should go, either." Ichigo sighed, turning onto another street. They were in the car, on their way to Byakuya's office. Rukia had ended the call with him on the note that he'd requested both her and Ichigo's presence. Rukia's gaze was still on him, and Ichigo ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, I don't want you to go, because I don't want you to get hurt," he started, and halted Rukia's protest with a raised hand, earning a glare, "But I also know there's no way I can stop you. Look, we'll get Orihime back. Your brother may or may not approve, but believe me, this isn't the first rescue mission I've been on." Rukia looked at him in surprise as Ichigo focused on the road.

"Really? …What happened?" Ichigo sighed, casually avoiding her gaze.

"It was a simply body guard job. Some rich girl, like you, that was coming in from Vegas to visit her dad. Apparently her dad got rich because of some good deals he made with not-so-good people. Well, before she came in town, he made a bad deal with the worst possible people he could have.

"She was only in town a few days before they got her. I was out with Urahara, looking at some new guns. We hadn't known about the threat before we got a panicked call from her dad, telling us everything. They'd kidnapped her and said if he didn't give them the money in time, they'd kill her."

Rukia watched him carefully, her indigo eyes worried.

"And? What happened?" Ichigo sighed again, pulling into the parking lot of Byakuya's building. He set the car in park and they sat there. He stared straight ahead as she waited.

"I was supposed to go in, get her, and get out without being noticed while the dad distracted them with the money, making deals with them and that kind of stuff. I got in with no problem, taking out a few guys quietly and sneaking in through the back. But… getting out is always the hardest.

"But when I found her… we were too late. Turns out guys like that don't exactly keep their word," Ichigo said sarcastically, his eyes blazing with anger that made Rukia's soften, "Outside, the deal'd run sour. The dad was shot in the shoulder, but lived because we had men on the outside to take down the big guys. I took the girl's body out of there… You know, I didn't want to leave her…" Ichigo finally met her eyes.

"There's always at least one casualty. Just remember that." Rukia nodded. It was quiet for a moment.

"What was her name?" Ichigo sighed.

"Senna. She was a nice enough girl. Innocent. Had all the time in the world. Or would have, if her dad hadn't…" Rukia placed a hand on his arm. She forced him to look at her.

"What's past is past," she stated, her eyes determined as they searched his, "Right now, we need to make sure that doesn't happen to Orihime. It can't." Ichigo took her hand and kissed the palm of it.

"And I'll do my best to make sure it won't, I promise." Rukia nodded and placed a chaste kiss on his lips before pulling away and they stepped out of the car. She steeled her nerves as she stared up at the building. _Here we go._

* * *

><p>"You're fired." There was an outraged. Ichigo's amber eyes blazed as he stepped forward.<p>

"What the hell?" Rukia stared at her brother and shock.

"Byakuya, what are you talking about?" Byakuya stood calmly from behind his desk, his expression steeled.

"It is obvious you cannot keep Rukia safe any longer, as you have allowed her to be assaulted by these men, allowed them to find where she lives, and let them kidnap those close to her."

"Byakuya, those were just scrapes," Rukia urged as Ichigo protested loudly. Byakuya's eyes hardened.

"I have made my decision, and as you seem to not have any adequate reason for me not to fire you, I suggest you leave."

"You can't do this!" Ichigo shouted, slamming a hand against the desk. Byakuya's gaze met him coolly.

"I obviously can. Now remove yourself from my office. Rukia, you will stay in the building under supervision of the guards I have in place. It is the safest place for you now."

"Brother, what about Orihime?" Rukia urged.

"There is nothing we can do to ensure both your and Orihime's safety—"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Brother I—"

"—and thus you will stay here and let the police do what they can."

"This is bullshit!" Ichigo bellowed. Byakuya's eyes narrowed and he took a step toward the younger man.

"I advise you leave my office immediately otherwise I will have the guards escort you out." Ichigo glared back at him but said nothing, and Byakuya moved back towards his desk.

"You may have your money in the mail at the end of the week." Ichigo growled before pivoting and stomping out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Rukia turned to her brother angrily.

"Byakuya," she demanded, placing her hands on her hips as he looked at her, "How can you think this is a good idea? Ichigo's a great body guard, and Orihime—"

"Your emotional attachment to the boy has become an issue," he interrupted breezily, "He is no longer of use as your body guard. I shall have them assign you another one. As for your friend, again, there is nothing you nor he could possibly do to save her, and I will not allow them to have you in her place." Rukia glared at him, appraising him.

"Do you know why they're after me?" Byakuya scribbled on a piece of paper, not raising his head to meet his sister's probing gaze.

"The reason does not matter. As long as they do not have you—"

"You know why they're after me," Rukia started, stepping forward, "Don't you."

"I—" Rukia slammed both her hands on the table and leaned forward.

"Tell me," she demanded, him finally meeting her piercing gaze, "I need to know. Tell me."

* * *

><p>"Ichigo!" Ichigo stopped just outside the front doors of the building and turned to see Rukia running towards him. She halted and took a moment to breathe, staring at him.<p>

"I know. I know why they've been after me. It's this guy, Aizen. They used to work together, a long time ago, but Aizen started stealing plans and things from the company—"

"What kind of plans?" Ichigo asked. Rukia shook her head.

"I don't know, Byakuya wouldn't told me. Anyway, Byakuya found out and told their boss, and Aizen got fired. Now that Byakuya's head of the company, Aizen wanted to find a way to get to him to get the plans back that he tried to steal years ago."  
>"And he was going to use you," Ichigo finished. Rukia nodded. She stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm, jogging Ichigo from his thoughts.<p>

"Ichigo, he's not going to let me out of here, and he already fired you," she told him, her indigo eyes boring into his. Ichigo took her hand.

"I know. That doesn't stop me from trying."

"I want to help you." Ichigo shook his head, clasping her hand in both of his.

"For now, just stay here, be safe, alright?" he said, his eyes digging into hers. Rukia met her gaze, his eyes flashing. She nodded.

"For now, that's all I can do." Ichigo glanced at the guard to his right, who stood beside the door, watching them from the corner of his eye.

"I'll see you later, alright?" he told Rukia. The corner of her mouth flickered, and she gave a nod that she understood. Ichigo placed her hair behind her ear and kissed her, a fast, still, but meaningful kiss. Rukia returned it before he pulled away, and they gave each other meaningful looks before he turned and left, out of the guarded front doors. Rukia glanced at the two guards before her before looking around at the lobby, scattered with a few people who looked away immediately from her gaze, as if they hadn't been watching the display. Rukia gave one last glance out the doors before swiftly turning and stalking back towards the elevators.

* * *

><p>Orihime contained her gasp just barely. The room was much larger than she'd expected, the walls white and decorated with quite a few paintings. There were small tables places carefully around the room, all empty, but towards the back, there was a long white table which Ulquiorra lead her to. At the very end was a large throne, red and more extravagant than anything Orihime had seen so far in this place, save for Ulquiorra's brilliant green eyes. Sitting in this throne, though, was what caught her attention, and made fear run its course throughout her entire body.<p>

It was a man older than both she and Ulquiorra, it seemed, around his later thirties, early forties. He had nice brown hair and handsome features. His kind-seeming brown eyes appraised her, and even through his relaxed posture, a sense of pride and importance surrounded the air between them. He grinned.

"Welcome, Orihime." Her eyes widened and she shifted behind Ulquiorra slightly despite herself. The man let out a chuckle.

"It seems you've got an admirer, Ulquiorra. She seems to like you." Ulquiorra glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, reminding her of the hallway, but she simply met his eyes this time. The man before them shifted in his chair slightly, straightening a bit without seeming any less relaxed than he had been.

"Come, sit," he urged, motioning to the chair next to him. Orihime hesitated and glanced at Ulquiorra. He gave a short nod and Orihime moved slowly towards the man, sinking to sit on the edge of the seat. The man watched this all with displayed amusement before looking at Ulquiorra.

"You too, Ulquiorra. I doubt Orihime would be as comfortable here if you were to leave." In her mind, Orihime agreed, which made no sense. He was the one who brought her here, yet she couldn't help but feel some sense of safety around him. Ulquiorra gracefully sat next to her, sitting straight forward in his chair and placing his hands in his lap.

"So," her attention was drawn back to the brown haired man, who smiled at her, "I suppose you've guessed who I am by now." Orihime glanced at Ulquiorra, but he didn't return her gaze, so she turned back to the other man.

"Um… Aizen?" Said man's smile widened.

"I knew you were smart," he stated, winking, "And do you know why you're here?" Again Orihime glanced at Ulquiorra before shaking her head. Aizen nodded understandingly.

"Yes, I'm afraid I didn't want others telling you, because I wanted to tell you myself," he told her, giving her a reassuring smile before leaning forward, "You're in no danger here, Ms. Inoue. As long as you cooperate, everything will be fine." Orihime glanced at Ulquiorra, again receiving no reaction.

"Cooperation w-with what?" she asked quietly. Aizen smiled again.

"See that's where it's easy. All you have to do… Is stay here." Orihime frowned, and Aizen chuckled.

"Yes, it might seem confusing. But we don't really want to harm you at all, Orihime. Who we really want is Rukia Kuchiki." A shiver ran down her spine.

"R-Rukia? What would you want with her?" she asked worriedly. Was this why Rukia had that body guard, Ichigo? Aizen leaned back slightly, still acting beyond relaxed.

"We just want to talk about some things with her," he soothed, though Orihime highly doubted this, "But she's awfully hard to get a hold of. So we'd like you to stay here, so we can get her attention. As long as you cooperate, no harm will come to you or her." Orihime thought. So… if she simply cooperated and didn't try to escape, they wouldn't hurt her or Rukia?

It didn't seem like the complete truth, and she got the distinct feeling that Aizen was hiding something from her, but even so… If she fought back, there would be no doubt that they'd hurt Rukia; that much was implied. But if she didn't, if she simply stayed put…

"Alright," she started hesitantly, before meeting the rich brown eyes of Aizen, "But you promise you won't hurt Rukia?" Aizen chuckled again, his eyes and smile revealing nothing.

"I promise."

* * *

><p>Urahara appraised the younger man.<p>

"Are you sure you want to do this? Even after Senna?" Ichigo examined one of the many guns on the counter before setting it down and picking up another. He glanced at the older man.

"I'm positive. I don't want to leave that poor girl to those men. And plus, she means a lot to Rukia." Yoruichi smiled as she leaned on the counter, her head in her hand.

"So… Rukia, eh?" Ichigo's face heated up as she snickered, and he tossed her a glare.

"Shouldn't you be thinking about something else?" Yoruichi's smile widened and she pulled herself up from the counter, walking around it towards the back wall.

"Oh yes, backup. Well, you'll need plenty if you're going after these guys. We'll have a perimeter set up. Do you even know where these guys are?"

"We do thanks to Mayuri," Urahara started, pulling out a map from under the counter and spreading it over the guns. He pointed to a second circled with black Sharpie.

"He's actually right down town, in an old abandoned factory. What use to be anyway." Yoruichi cocked an eyebrow, and Ichigo frowned.

"How has no one found them before? Surely someone would have noticed that." Urahara shook his heads, uncapping another marker and outlining several faint, blue lines running under the circled building.

"There're a ton of underground hallways and rooms that have been unused, most people don't even know they exist. I'm surprise Mayuri was even able to find this out."

"I'm guessing he had someone from the inside," Ichigo surmised. Urahara nodded.

"Most likely. Not that he'd ever tell who it was. Apparently they told him not to release his personal information to anyone, not even what he looked like." Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed.

"But, if no one knows who the informant is…" Urahara nodded.

"I know. But Ichigo, you have to be careful. Those men are ruthless, especially Gin. You can't risk not pulling the trigger because they may or may not be one informant out of a hundred evil men."

"Yeah, I know."

"We'll have a perimeter set up," Yoruichi cut in, slipping a gun into a holster on her ankle, "We'll even help you get inside, but once you're in, that's it, you're on your own, unless the informant has a change of heart and decides to help you then, as well. Once you're in there, you find the girl, you get out. Don't pause for a moment. You got it?" Ichigo nodded. Urahara smiled, his eyes gleaming at the younger man.

"Be careful out there, Ichigo. You've got a pretty girl waiting for you outside." He and Yoruichi laughed as Ichigo's face grew red. Yoruichi suddenly stopped and glanced at a clock.

"Speaking of, don't you have somewhere to be?"

* * *

><p>Rukia glanced around the corner of the hallway and swiftly brought herself back. There was only one man guarding this hallway, thankfully, sporting a rifle. The entire floor of this building was surrounded by glass walls showing the outside, and Rukia could practically see the whole city from here. Rukia took a deep breath and quietly pulled the gun from her holster. She waited just a moment before whirling around the corner, gun up and trigger pulled before the poor guy had any idea what was happening.<p>

He dropped like a sack of flour to the floor, rifle useless, and Rukia made her way over to him, carefully plucking the dart out from between the juncture of his neck and tossing it aside. She holstered her gun and dug through his pockets, snatching his ID and a small plastic pass card and slipping them into her pocket before heaving him up against the wall, so to anyone who walked by it would simply seem as if he'd fallen asleep on the job.

Glancing around one last time, Rukia stood and left quickly, taking the elevator down and leaving the floor practically untouched, as if no one had been there.

On the bottom floor, Rukia stepped out of the elevator, moving towards and through back hallways she knew from spending so much time in her brother's building. She met no one on her way, thankfully, and soon she came upon the one door she'd been searching for. She swiped the card she'd stolen from the card and the red light of the scanner blinked green. Rukia glanced around one last time before slipping through the door, closing it quietly behind her.

In the room, every wall was lined with weapons, and there were several shelves stacked with several other types of weapons and papers and objects. Rukia moved to the back wall, scanning it over before grabbing a small, light weight gun, quickly finding the matching bullets and loading it.

She shoved this in her boot and grabbed a small, sharp knife and slipping it into her other boot before hurrying back towards the exit. Rukia paused when a couple of blue papers caught her eye, and she frowned, scanning them over. Just then voices resonated from behind the door, and Rukia grabbed the papers and shoved them into her back pocket, whipping her gun out and starting towards the door all in a few swift movements.

She opened the door and the two guards halfway down the hallway barely had time to register their surprise before two silent shots went off and they both fell, one dart set deep in both of their necks. Rukia shoved her gun back in the holster once again and started forward, grabbing one man by the foot and dragging him towards the room. Afterwards she did the same with the other and let the door close behind them. She stood before the two unconscious men, her hands on her hips. Finally Rukia turned to the smaller one of the two and shrugged, muttering, "You'll have to do."

* * *

><p>Ichigo watched the door, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. How long—the door opened, and the two guards turned and nodded to the person who came out. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the new person, who was wearing a uniform almost twice their size and a baseball cap drawn over their face. He started the car as they approached, throwing themselves into the front seat. Ichigo chuckled and shook his head as he drove away. The woman tore the hat off her head and glared at him.<p>

"Shut up. They weren't exactly my size, alright?" This only made him laugh again, earning him a punch in the shoulder.

"So, you ready?" Ichigo asked as Rukia began shedding the extra clothes she'd put over her own, tossing the shirt, sunglasses, and hat into the backseat.

"I think so. Oh, and I saw these blue prints in the weapon's room—They look familiar, but I'm not sure what they're of."

"We'll look at them later. Right now we have to get back to Urahara's and meet up with the rest."

"The rest?" Ichigo gave her a cocky smile she hadn't seen in a while.

"What, you think we're in this alone? We've got plenty of backup."

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra lead Orihime back to her room, telling her that there would be another meeting with Aizen, soon.<p>

"What does he really want with Rukia?" she asked once they were back and the door was closed. Ulquiorra met her inquiring gaze evenly.

"Lord Aizen has told you what he intends."

"He was lying." Orihime could have sworn Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed.

"Watch your mouth, trash. Do not question Aizen." He turned swiftly towards the door, turning back only to tell her he'd be back later with her lunch. Orihime called out to him and he halted with his hand on the door.

"Why do you worship him so much?" she asked quietly, wondering if the question would make him angry. It was silent and Ulquiorra still had his back to her.

"It is none of your business, but Aizen provided me with something I didn't have before."

"A-And what would that be?" Ulquiorra was silent, and without a word, he opened the door and left, the lock clicking behind him. Orihime stared a moment before sighing and sitting, pondering even more about the mysterious emerald-eyed man.

* * *

><p>Urahara's eyes widened.<p>

"Where did you get these?" Rukia stuttered.

"T-They were in my brother's building, I found them when I was getting my gun—"

"Do you know what these are?"

"Obviously not, hat n' clogs, will you just tell us?" Urahara took a deep breath and shook his head.

"This is a lot more complicated than I though." The room filled with foreboding, and Ichigo and Rukia exchanged glances. Renji rolled his eyes.

"Well, _that_ was uplifting."

* * *

><p><strong>Wellll... DUN DUN DUN! What is Urahara on about? What is Ulquiorra's secret? Was Aizen lying? Who is the informant? ... I'm running out of questions, and I'm tired soooo... Hope you liked it! Review and stuffs, BYESSSSSSSSSSS!<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi guys! It's been a while. Due to some poking by a friend, I finally finished this chapter! Only one more to go and an epilogue! I planned just this chapter and the epilogue, but this one turned out longer than I'd intended... Oh well. Yay! I hope you enjoy! Please forgive me for the long pause and I hope you read and review!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"So? What is it?" They all stared at Urahara, worriedly. Urahara shook his head in disbelief.<p>

"It's… top of the line, to say the least. They haven't even approved this to release to the military yet, not in all these years."

"So…?" Urahara sighed.

"It's a highly dangerous missile. It's fueled by a power that has been kept secret for years by the government, because they don't know how to completely contain it yet. It's like… three nukes and an atomic bomb all compressed together in a metal casing."

"How come they haven't released it yet?" Rukia asked.

"They're extremely hard to get ahold of. They're dangerous, expensive, and most of the parts are illegal," Urahara answered, pushing the sheet of paper away and turning to stare meaningfully at Ichigo, "If Aizen gets a hold of these, there's no telling what he could do. Who knows, he might even have some."

Ichigo frowned.

"But the blueprints—"

"He already stole some years ago, these are just the updated versions," Urahara told him, "Look, just keep an eye out; if you see anyone holding these, duck and keep as far away from them as possible, got it? Now come on… you should hurry, while we've got the element of surprise on our side."

* * *

><p>Her footsteps made next to no sound on the floors as she stalked forward confidently, her clothes swishing behind her. The gaudy black and white covered her strong frame, and the hairpiece almost covered half of her face. She had waited until the green-eyed guy had left, and now approached the door. Using the key that she conveniently borrowed from a nice, unconscious man (the same who provided her with the uniform, no less), she unlocked the door and stepped in.<p>

The orange-haired girl sitting on the edge of a small iron bed looked up in surprise, fear shining in the back of her eyes. They watched each other for a time, and Orihime kept glancing at the door worriedly.

"Um… who are you? I-Is Ulquiorra…?"

Ripping off the mask piece and gaining a gasp, Tatsuki grinned and let the piece clink to the ground as Orihime rushed her, jumping on her in a crushing hug.

"Heya, kiddo."

"Tatsuki, what're you doing here?" Orihime asked, her voice a mixture of amazement, thankfulness and worry. She pulled back to look her friend in the eye, and Tatsuki scoffed.

"You didn't think I'd just sit by and do nothing while you were kidnapped, did you?"

Orihime frowned.

"But how did you find me?"

Tatsuki shrugged.

"As soon as you texted me and told me about that guy you liked, I came over to talk to you. By then he was already getting in his car with you, so I just followed," she said, before snorting, "He's not very good at it, he didn't seem to care if he was followed or not." Orihime frowned worriedly at her.

"Tatsuki—"

"Questions later, Orihime," Tatsuki urged, grabbing her arm, "We've gotta get out of here, now, before they realize I'm here."

Just as these words left her mouth, she reached for the door just as it opened. Orihime gasped and Tatsuki cursed in her head as Ulquiorra stepped in, standing still in the doorway, his green eyes staring. Nothing showed his surprise, but his green eyes bore into Tatsuki's as she glared at him.

"Release her."

His voice was icy and clipped, and Tatsuki snarled.

"That's my line, jackass."

She reached quickly towards her holster but in a second there was a blade to her neck and she paused as Orihime shrieked. The eyes were inches from hers now, and Tatsuki's blood was freezing, her hand permanently halted.

"Release her and come with me," Ulquiorra ordered. Tatsuki let go slowly of Orihime's arm, who watched with horror.

"U-Ulqui—"

Ulquiorra gave Orihime one glance, effectively silencing her. He stared into Tatsuki's determined eyes.

"You should not have come here."

Tatsuki growled.

"You shouldn't have stolen my best friend."

Ulquiorra reached past her and pulled her gun from its holster and pointed it at her, pulling the knife away.

"Go."

Tatsuki and Orihime stared at him in confusion.

"If you are the only one here for her, you must leave now, otherwise you may not make it out—"

"Ulquiorra."

The entire room dropped about ten degrees. Orihime saw Ulquiorra's eyes only slightly widen for less than a second before flitting back to normal. Slowly he turned, looking over his shoulder at the smirking face in the doorway.

"Grimmjow."

* * *

><p>Ichigo was crouched in a small white room—he assumed it was a kitchen. It had been surprisingly easy to infiltrate with Urahara's help, and now he and Rukia waited beside each other, guns clutched as they listened carefully to the radio on his hip. Rukia glanced around before ducking again, back pressed against the counter.<p>

"I'll go get Orihime, you find the plans," she stated. Ichigo grabbed her arm before he could move, his golden eyes firing up.

"No way," he said lowly, seriously, "We go together." Rukia gave him a slight glare.

"You know it would be easier to do this separate. I'll be fine on my own, I'm not helpless!"

"You're not trained as much as me, either!" Ichigo protested, "Look, I know you trained at Byakuya's place and he won't let you go anywhere without a gun, but this is more serious than fending off perverts in dark alleys, alright? These are serious men, and if you forget, Gin is still walking around here somewhere. So if we do this, we do it together!"

"We'll get caught easier if we're together," she shot.

"I have orange hair, we're going to be spotted anyway," Ichigo snapped back.

"All the more reason we should split up! We'll be done and get out faster. Besides, if we're separate you won't have to constantly be worrying about me."

Ichigo's eyes softened a bit.

"I'll always worry about you."

Rukia's cheeks brushed pink, and she shoved him.

"Enough with the romantic crap, we need to divide and conquer. I'll call you on the radio if anything goes wrong. Trust me."

Ichigo sighed.

"…Fine. But you make sure to be careful! And if something… if something already happened to Orihime, Rukia, you leave her there. Alright? No matter what—what she looks like, or anything. You leave her. You understand?"

Rukia swallowed and nodded. He nodded back and stood.

"Alright, you head down that hallway and follow Urahara's directions. The contact should be near Orihime's room. Apparently he's easy to spot. I'll go get the plans."

She nodded and they shared a meaningful look before he disappeared through the doors. Rukia took a deep breath and pivoted, pushing open the doors and taking the hallway to her left.

Ichigo watched her go for a moment before keeping right, raising his gun and sneaking along the wall. His ears picked up movement and he paused. A few breaths more and there was only silence, so he continued. The halls seemed eerily quiet, and discomfort settled in the pit of Ichigo's stomach—something wasn't quite right.

He continued down the hallway at a quicker pace, turning a corner. Suddenly he heard shuffling and he yanked back, pressing his back to the wall. He heard sniffling and a murmur, which was shushed, and frowned. Didn't he recognize that voice…?

"…dead?"

Orihime. Ichigo tensed, ready to kill whoever her captor was. They reached the corner he was at and he flipped around, gun aimed. Orihime shrieked and Tatsuki slapped a hand over her mouth as Ichigo lowered the gun, breathing a deep sigh.

"Jesus," he muttered, glaring. Tatsuki returned it.

"Hey, don't look at me like that, you're the one who almost blew the hero's head off," she said.

"Have you seen Rukia?" Ichigo asked, ignoring her. Both of them shook their heads.

"Rukia's here, too?" Orihime asked, eyes wide with worry, "Ichigo, no. They want Rukia. They'll do something bad to her." Ichigo's eyes hardened and he gave Orihime a side hug.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to her. C'mon, let's get out of here," he said, pulling her down the hallway. Orihime surprised him by tugging his hand back and refusing to budge.

"Ichigo… Ulquiorra… you have to help him," she whispered, eyes filling with tears. Ichigo sent Tatsuki a questioning glance, who scoffed.

"He's the guy that brought her here. He's brainwashed her."

"He has not!" Orihime protested.

"Alright, come on, we don't have time for this," Ichigo said. Orihime pulled him back again.

"Orihime—"

"Please, Ichigo," she said, "he tried to help us escape. I don't… I don't know if… he's still alive, but…" Her eyes filled with tears. Ichigo had almost forgotten how delicate of a person Orihime was.

"Alright, okay, Orihime, I'll find him, don't worry."

"We can find the way out from here," Tatsuki said, and went on from Ichigo's uncertain glance, "I got in, I can get her out. There's a secret path that feeds out just a few blocks from her apartment."

Ichigo hesitated and pulled the radio to his lips.

"…Urahara?"

There was a crackle.

"We'll have a car waiting for them."

Ichigo nodded to Tatsuki and she passed him, taking Orihime with her. Ichigo clipped the radio onto his belt and gripped his gun with both hands again, moving on.

* * *

><p><em>Grimmjow walked leisurely around the room, pretending to pick at his nails.<em>

_"So… you're the snake, huh?" he said casually. Ulquiorra stared at him evenly. He knew Grimmjow's game. He knew it better than anyone, besides Grimmjow himself. He knew that Grimmjow had only let Tatsuki and Orihime go because there was something waiting for them, or that Grimmjow knew something Ulquiorra didn't. He used bluffs like these sometimes, but never on Ulquiorra; he knew they didn't work on him._

_Ulquiorra didn't respond and Grimmjow grinned._

_"Never would have thought it, the way you're up Aizen's ass all the time," Grimmjow said._

_"Things change over time," Ulquiorra stated._

_"Yeah? What changed this? The girl?"_

_"This change came a long time before her."_

_Grimmjow pointed a finger in the air._

_"Ah. But you didn't deny that was a reason."_

_"What do you want, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked._

_"I want a lot of things," Grimmjow said, stepping closer, his smile dropping, "First off, I wanna know why. Aizen gave you everything. You used to worship him. So why all this shit now?"_

_"Aizen gave me but one thing, and while I appreciated it, it is of no use now," he said. Grimmjow's eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward, nose almost brushing Ulquiorra's._

_"Oh yeah? And what was that?"_

_Ulquiorra's eyes met his, mostly blank, but after years of this, Grimmjow could see the spark of emotion behind those eyes, a sort of light that he couldn't identify. Ulquiorra spoke from those pale lips then._

_"Purpose."_

* * *

><p>When Ichigo reached the room, any hope of finding Orihime's kidnapper evaporated. The door was flung open, and blood was splattered the floor. It looked pretty fresh, too. There was a blue haired man on the floor, his chest covered in dried blood, his blank eyes staring off to his right, the direction his hand was reaching. Ichigo followed this line with his eyes and cursed, hurrying over. Leaned up against the small bed was a dark haired man with the most shocking green eyes Ichigo had ever seen. He clutched his chest, where blood was gushing through his fingers.<p>

"What's your name?" Ichigo asked.

Those eyes met his carelessly.

"Ulquiorra."

"You brought Orihime here?" Ichigo probed, kneeling in front of him, gun still at the ready. Ulquiorra stared in an unwavering gaze that sent chills down his spine.

"If you're going to kill me," he said slowly, speaking obviously taking a lot out of him, "I suggest you hurry."

Ichigo holstered his gun. He ripped the bed sheet off of the bed and bundled it up as he spoke and Ulquiorra watched him emotionlessly.

"I'm not going to kill you," he said, pulling Ulquiorra's hand away from his wound easily and replacing it with the bed sheet, "Here, hold this. You think you can last for a bit longer?"

Ulquiorra did as he was told, eyes staring at him. Already Ichigo could see the light dying out from his eyes.

"No."

Ichigo gritted his teeth.

"Well try. I know someone who'll just cry her eyes out if you die. I'll be back later."  
>Ichigo stood and left. Ulquiorra's eyes followed him, and then turned back to the wall where they had been staring previously. It was silent for a moment, and then one word.<p>

"…Trash…"

Ichigo pulled out his radio and spoke.

"Urahara? Are Tatsuki and Orihime safe?"

A crackle.

"We haven't seen them yet, but we sent someone into the tunnel to get them."

"Okay. Tell Orihime I found who she wanted me to, and he's really badly hurt. I don't know if he'll make it. Also, I think he was our informant, Urahara. He's the only one that makes sense. He helped them escape."

"Well, then, you know what to do," Urahara said.

"Yeah, there's just something bugging me," Ichigo muttered, checking around a corner before rounding it and continuing.

"Hm?"

"I sent Rukia to find Orihime," he said, "Well, I found Orihime, and I checked her room. So where is Rukia?"

* * *

><p>Rukia stepped into a large white room, gun held in her sweaty palms. She hadn't run into anyone on her way here except a thug or two, who she had been able to avoid easily. Something was gnawing at her. There was something… off. Rukia stepped closer to the long table in the middle, peering at the paper there. They were sketches of the missile plans, and profiles of people. There was Orihime, and a guy with dark hair and green eyes that seemed almost lifeless, a blue haired guy with a cocky smile—Rukia was there, too, with a red dot at the top of the page. Rukia frowned, scanning them over, and jumped when a voice echoed from behind her.<p>

"Rukia Kuchiki. How nice. We've been waiting."

* * *

><p><em>"So? What? You don't need a purpose now? That doesn't seem like you," Grimmjow said.<em>

_"I do not expect to outlive these circumstance," Ulquiorra replied. Grimmjow's eyes lit in understanding._

_"You're on a suicide mission," Grimmjow said. Ulquiorra simply stared. Grimmjow glared at him._

_"How the hell can you do that?" he snarled, "What, you gonna make me kill you?"_

_"Since when do I have to make you do anything, Trash?" Ulquiorra said, "It is not my wish to die by the hand of scum like you, but I supposed that you would be the first to offer if asked." Grimmjow steamed._

_"Really? After all we've been through?"_

_"You hate me and you're a madman," Ulquiorra said calmly, "Our trials together have had no effect on your emotions towards me."_

_"Yeah, more like the other way around, is what it sounds like to me," Grimmjow said. Ulquiorra was silent._

_"You remember when we were kids, right?" Grimmjow asked, "When you first saw me and picked a fight?"_

_"I believe it was you who—"_

_"Yeah, and you kicked my ass, called me trash, and walked away. What did I ask you?"_

_Ulquiorra didn't respond._

_"I said 'what's your deal?' And you said?"_

_"…'you remind me of my father'." It was quiet._

_"I remember what happened, Grimmjow, but there is no point in bringing that event up now—"_

_"You hated me from the beginnin', so don't you go sayin' that I'd volunteer to kill ya just 'cause you think your old man did," Grimmjow said, and Ulquiorra stiffened. Grimmjow continued lowly._

_"Now I ain't gonna kill ya, but I can't let ya get away with it, either. Aizen'll have my ass, too. Then he can deal death for ya, since ya want it so much."_

_Ulquiorra grabbed Grimmjow's arm in a piercing grip, and Grimmjow stopped, shocked._

_"I can't allow you to do that, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said. Grimmjow stared at him and glared._

_"Well then," he said, pulling a blade out of his pocket, "I guess you'll get your wish after all, pipsqueak."_

_After the fight was over, Ulquiorra dragged himself to prop up against the bed. Grimmjow was still gasping, staring at him, blood pouring out of his chest. Ulquiorra stared at him._

_"You still could not do what I wished," Ulquiorra said, "…trash."_

_It was quiet._

_"Tell… me…"_

_Ulquiorra's eyes flickered to Grimmjow in mild surprise. Grimmjow stared back at him, his hand reaching towards him._

_"Why… you call… trash…"_

_Ulquiorra stared._

_"You're going to be dead in a few minutes. The information is not important to you."_

_Grimmjow growled, his chest heaving. Blood trickled from his lips. Ulquiorra watched._

_"My father called me trash," Ulquiorra said, "When I could not control my emotions. When I was angry or scared or happy. I was trash. He would show me that I was trash. The world is a trashcan. Emotions are products that, if used, need to be thrown away. You are full of emotions, therefore you are trash. You mistake my calling others that for my belief that I am not trash. On the contrary, I am aware that I am trash. I was hoping to be thrown away. But you have made it so I must wait a little longer."_

_Ulquiorra pressed a hand to his chest. The blood was flowing unhindered now. Grimmjow stared at him with the little light he had left in those blue eyes of his. His lips parted, barely._

_"Don't… throw…'way…"_

_Ulquiorra stared at him until Grimmjow's eyes went blank. The room went cold. Ulquiorra sat quietly, waiting for the world to throw him away._

* * *

><p>Sweat dripped down Rukia's neck and into her shirt. The tall dark haired man smiled nicely at her, but there was something sinister behind it.<p>

Rukia couldn't speak. He seemed to pick up on that and stepped closer. Rukia was brought back to her senses slightly and took a step backwards, bringing her gun up to aim right at Aizen's head. He stopped, looking shocked, before it melted into another easy smile.

"Don't worry; I don't want any of that. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Yeah, right," she hissed.

"I just want your brother to understand what he's done," Aizen said, "You know what happened, I assume?"

"You were fired because you were stealing plans for illegal missiles."

Aizen shook his head.

"See, you only have half the story. I'd like to tell my half of the story, if that's alright," he said. Rukia didn't respond, glancing behind him for a sign that anyone was coming to help. There was none. Aizen took this pause as a yes and began.

"I was working with your brother at the company he works now, and he and I both found out about the blue prints for deadly weapons. I started questioning why they had them. I wanted to know if they were going to start a war. Is it really fair, after all, for one group of people to hold so much power? Byakuya tried to silence me, he said that we shouldn't question our superiors. When I continued asking questions, Byakuya told on me, and I was fired."

"Then what about the blueprints?" Rukia asked.

"I had one of my… associates access them for me. I wanted to know what kind of power they held. Who knows? Maybe it's enough to blow half the planet. Do you think it's right for them to have this power over everyone else? Life or death in the hands of some company?"

Rukia paused.

"Then what are you going to do with them? Ura—someone said you could have already built one."

Aizen nodded, stepping forward. Rukia's fingers tightened on her gun and she took another step back. Something sharp pressed against her neck then, and she felt breath beside her ear.

"Release the gun, girl, and no one gets hurt," the voice hissed lightly. It was slimy and Rukia bit her lip to suppress a shriek. She lowered the gun and felt it taken from her fingers. Her eyes went back to Aizen, whose lips were tighter and eyes wider.

"Now then," he said, eyes gleaming, "You've met Gin. Now we can talk."

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><p><strong>Yes? Enjoy? I hope so. Let me know what you think! Reviews are beautiful and appreciated. Thank you for reading! See you next time!<br>**


	11. The End

**Hey guys! I meant to add this earlier, but my computer was being a poop. So anyways, I hope you like it! It's been a long ride lol and I need to send out a big Thank You to the readers that stuck with me even through the waits and the writer's blocks, so thank you, I really appreciate it, and this one is for you! Please let me know what you think, reviews fuel my passion, they really do! Anyhow I'll stop annoying you and,**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Ichigo heard a shriek and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Rukia. He began running in the direction of her voice, whipping around a corner and spinning back, pinning himself to the wall as bullets shot through the space he'd just been in. He gripped his gun tightly, took a deep breath, and spun around the corner. Three quick shots to chest and the three other men were down. He hurried past them, keeping his guard up as he went. He heard a shuffle behind him and a yelp and turned, gun raised. His jaw dropped has Yoruichi pulled the blade from the man who had been sneaking up on Ichigo. She grinned at him, but then another scream erupted and it dropped, and they moved on again.<p>

When they neared the open double doors that the sounds were coming from, Tatsuki and Ichigo flattened them on opposite walls. Another scream erupted, and a sharp glance from Tatsuki was the only thing that kept Ichigo in his place. His fingers curled into fists, his knuckles white around his gun as he listened to Rukia cry out in pain once more.

* * *

><p>The sharp pains were endless. They'd tied Rukia to a chair, her arms and knees bound. Blood dripped from several wounds and slices on her thighs and arms. There was one nasty looking gash on her shoulder that stretched to her collar bone. She shivered in fright as Gin licked his blood drenched blade absently, that fox smile still in place. Aizen stood calmly a few feet in front of her; as if he was simply looking in on a film or picture, his eyes lit up with interest, but not glee or horror.<p>

"You see, Ms. Kuchiki, I could kill you right now," Aizen said, before shaking his head, "but Byakuya needs to see you first. I'll let you in on a little secret, since we're getting to know each other. Byakuya has something that I need to power the missiles. It's the only piece of the puzzle that I haven't been able to acquire. You know what it is, don't you?"

Rukia shook her head, and then cried out, salty tears pouring from her eyes as another cut sliced her thigh. She yelped and struggled against the bonds as her tears fell against the wounds, causing them to erupt in songs of pain. Aizen tilted his head sympathetically as she lifted her head, sniffling in an effort to stop any more tears. He took a step forward.

"You're the closest one to Byakuya besides his stupid wife, and other than a bargaining chip, she'd be of no use to us. We can bargain you, and get information from you. What more could we want?"

A glint of the knife, and Rukia braced herself—nothing came but a shriek from Gin as he collapsed, holding his side. He pulled away a shaky hand to reveal bright red blood. Aizen's eyes widen a fraction and he turned. Once he did, a boom rang and he ducked. Rukia flinched as the bullet ricocheted off of the ground near her foot, but it didn't pierce her. There was a flood of voices and flashes of lights. Rukia felt her arms being let go and she slumped forward. The only thing she could think was; pain, pain, pain, pain. She heard a distinct voice as her body was raised, but wasn't able to place a face to it before everything disappeared into blackness.

* * *

><p>Throbbing pounded through her entire body, and Rukia kept her eyes closed, trying to adjust to the pain. A quiet beeping woke her somewhere to her left, and she immediately connected it with a hospital. With this piece of information, she patched together the rest of her memory; the fight, the torture, Ichigo, Orihime… She forced her eyes open, pushing through the pain of light piercing her eyes, and blinked furiously.<p>

"Or…hime…"

A hand was placed on hers.

"Shush, Rukia. Rest."

Ichigo stood over her, eyes solemn. Rukia tried to push herself up, but her entire body ached, and Ichigo helped her ease back down.

"Wha…?"

"They captured Aizen and Gin," Ichigo said, smiling, "And Orihime's just fine. Everyone's fine."

"Rest now, Rukia," another voice said, and Rukia's eyes snapped to Byakuya, who stood in the corner of the room. Clinging to his side, tears in her eyes, was Hisana. As soon as Rukia saw her, Hisana sprung forward, grabbing her free hand, which caused Rukia to realize that Ichigo was clasping her other one and neither of the others seemed intent on mentioning it.

"How are you feeling? Are you okay? You were out for a few hours, we thought it might take forever for you to wake up—" Hisana hurried. Rukia smiled gently.

"I'm fine, Hisana," she said honestly. Ichigo's fingers squeezed hers, and she looked at him. Those kind caramel eyes bore into hers, and she smiled back at them. They were all fine.

"Are you sure you don't want to rest?" Hisana asked.

"I want to see Orihime," Rukia said.

"I don't think—" Ichigo started, but, surprisingly, Byakuya interrupted.

"I have a wheelchair right here. If you would, Mr. Kurosaki," Byakuya said meaningfully, staring at Ichigo evenly. Ichigo held it a moment, confused, before giving a hesitant nod.

"Uh, yeah, sure…"

Ichigo helped Rukia into the wheelchair, though she gritted her teeth and hissed at the tug of some of her stitches. Surprisingly, Hisana and Byakuya didn't join them.

"We will be here tomorrow to pick you up and bring you home," Byakuya said shortly.

"We need to talk, when you do," Rukia told him. He seemed reluctant—as reluctant as Byakuya could look—before nodding and taking Hisana by the waist and leading her away, as she leaned over his shoulder and waved and promised to call later. Ichigo chuckled and shook his head as he began pushing Rukia down the hallway.

"So what room is Orihime in?" Rukia asked.

"She's not in her room."

Rukia glanced up at him curiously.

"Then… where…? Should she be moving…?"

"That didn't stop you, did it?" Ichigo asked. Rukia huffed good naturedly, but they were both smiling broadly. As they neared their destination, Rukia's ears picked up familiar voices. Tatsuki's was the loudest.

"Stop bothering him, Orihime, let him rest."

"But—I want to know—I want to make you soup! I can make chicken noodle soup, but usually I put bean paste and radishes in to spice it up. Oh, you're not allergic to that, are you?"

"…No, but as I've told you several times, I don't require sustenance from you."

This third voice Rukia didn't recognized, and so she leaned forward curiously as they stopped in the doorway. Orihime was sitting in a chair at the bedside of a pale, dark haired man with vibrant green eyes, while at her shoulder stood Tatsuki, leaning against the wall. The green eyes slid to Rukia, causing her to shiver as they remained there. This seemed to draw the attention of the other two, since they turned around to look. Orihime's eyes widened unbelievably and in a blink she was out of her seat and rushing to Rukia, hugging her carefully around the shoulders. Rukia wrapped her thin arms around the other girl's middle, smiling.

"Rukia! I'm so glad you're okay," Orihime breathed, and Rukia could feel the tears dripping onto her shoulder already from Orihime's eyes.

"I'm so sorry Orihime, I didn't know—I shouldn't have gotten you into any of this, I'm so sorry—" Rukia mumbled, pulling back her own tears.

"No! No! I'm just glad you're okay! Don't worry about me! See? I'm fine! Tatsuki and Ulquiorra saved me! I'm so happy you're okay, Rukia!"

Rukia gave a tearful laugh.

"Yeah… yeah, me too."

They pulled apart finally, Rukia wiping her eyes quickly while Orihime smiled, letting them shine on her cheeks proudly.

"Oh! Rukia, meet Ulquiorra! He helped me and Tatsuki in that lair place. Ulquiorra—well, I guess you already know who Rukia is…" Orihime trailed off awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head with a sheepish smile. Rukia frowned at Ulquiorra, who simply stared at her, before Ichigo leaned down and whispered in her ear,

"He was our informant."

Rukia's mouth formed an 'o' of understanding, and she nodded towards the pale man, who, after a moment of secret deliberation, nodded back.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Orihime said, digging into her pocket and holding something out to Rukia, "That woman Yoruichi dropped this by for you while you were asleep. She said that I'd know when to give it to you, but I don't really, so I guess I can just give it to you now."

Rukia took the small pendant carefully. It was a simply gold chain attached to a small, gaudy butterfly with diamonds encrusted at the tips of the wings. She frowned at it, turning it over.

"What, I almost die, and all I get is a butterfly?" she asked. Ichigo chuckled and took the pendant, turning it over and opening it. Inside, encrusted in the gold, was a small inscription; Welcome, Rukia Kuchiki.

"It's not a necklace, it's a badge," Ichigo said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "It means you're under our protection now, no matter what. But it also means that when there's another mission, there's a chance you could be called in."

"So basically I'm out of the frying pan and into the fire," Rukia mumbled, before chuckling and shaking her head. Ichigo ruffled her hair and Rukia's fists clenched around the butterfly necklace.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news," Orihime said bashfully. She was already back at Ulquiorra's side, hand lying on the bed close enough for his to grab, though he didn't seem to have any intention to.

"Nah, it's not your fault, Orihime," Rukia said, reaching back almost half-mindedly and gripping Ichigo's hand when it met hers halfway, "But seriously… Butterflies suck."

"A dragon would have been cool," Tatsuki chimed in with a grin. Ichigo laughed.

"Yeah, well, butterflies are kind of Yoruichi's thing," he said.

"Well they suck," Rukia repeated. Ichigo leaned down by her face.

"Don't let her hear you say that," he said. She kissed him. Ichigo returned it before frowning.

"But seriously, what do you think Byakuya will say to all this?"

Rukia shrugged.

"He's been keeping things from me, and he owes me a lot more than answers. I figure big brothers' going to be a lot more lenient now so he can get back on my good side. After all, I have blackmail now if I need it."

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow with a coy smile.

"Sneaky. Who would have thought a midget like you would blackmail your own brother?"

Rukia glared.

"Who are you calling midget, carrot top?"

"Why you—"

"Ah," a voice said, and they all turned to where Urahara stood in the doorway, looking as relaxed as ever, fanning himself and smiling, "I see you two are fired up. Ready for our next mission, then?"

Rukia held in a groan, but her fingers tightened around the golden necklace. Butterflies really do suck.

* * *

><p><strong>And there's a (kind of) happy ending :) It feels good to finally wrap this up. Remember to check out my other stories, and if there's one I haven't updated in a while, just shoot me an email and kick me in the butt saying 'hey you get on this!' and I'll say 'aye aye captain!' and do my best at finishing it! Read Review Like Follow, etc, thank you all! Goodnight! zzzzzzzz<br>**


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